


Time Waits for No Man

by WolfRune20855



Category: Doctor Who (2005), Torchwood
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Jack and Ianto actually having a good relationship pre CoE, M/M, Rating May Change, Rose/Ianto Sibling Au, So much angst, There's gonna be angst in this one, because I felt like it, in this household we treat Rhys Williams with the respect he deserves, no beta we die like men, no gwen bashing, the Ianto/Gwen friendship we should have had
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-07
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-12 03:07:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 25,660
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29253450
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WolfRune20855/pseuds/WolfRune20855
Summary: When Ianto is thirteen-years-old, he runs away to London. He ends up getting taken in by the Tyler family.
Relationships: Ianto Jones & Rose Tyler, Jack Harkness/Ianto Jones, Ninth Doctor/Rose Tyler
Comments: 22
Kudos: 80





	1. Run Aways

Ianto Jones runs away when he is thirteen.

His mother has been dead for two months when he buys a ticket to London and hops the first train out of Wales, running away from home two days after his thirteenth birthday. Not that he thinks of it as _home_ anymore. It stopped being home when his mother died and Rhiannon abandoned them. He doesn't have any regrets as he passes by his father, asleep on the couch because he was too drunk to stumble to his bedroom, and locks the door behind him. He slips a letter to Rhiannon in the mailbox on the corner telling her not to worry. He has a plan.

Ianto would never run away without a plan.

His plan is to get a job in London. He'd noticed an advertisement in the newspaper the week before, asking for help at a small but popular coffee shop in London. He'd emailed them using the computer at the local coffee shop, chatting back and forth until he'd landed himself a job, even having an interview over the phone. All that is left is to show up and start work. It's a good plan, brilliantly crafted and executed. There's just one small problem: Ianto Jones is thirteen.

He doesn't realize that it's a problem until he's standing in front of Miriam, a backpack stuffed full of everything he owns thrown over his shoulder. Miriam frowns at him, "What age are you, kid?"

"Sixteen," Ianto lies because, despite his average grades, he's not an idiot. He knows that thirteen-year-olds don't get jobs.

Miriam arches an eyebrow. "Sixteen?"

"Yep."

"Really?"

"Really." There's a brief pause as Miriam's eyes flick over Ianto's appearance. He knows what he looks like, skinny and lanky with a fringe that's beginning to cover his eyes. He barely looks thirteen. He scrambles to come up with a convincing lie to cover his appearance, "I look young for my age. Always have. It's a curse. Although I've been told it'll be a blessing one day."

"I'm sorry, kid." Miriam takes a deep breath. This is the exact moment that Ianto realizes that he is screwed. His plan isn't going to work. He's going to have to come up with another solution. "The position's been filled. Come back in three years and I'll consider hiring you again. Go home." The door to the coffee shop closes and Ianto is left standing in the alley with nowhere to go.

He can't return home––not after all the hard work he put into running away. He goes to a nearby park instead. It's barely a park, more of a green space in the middle of the city. Men and women dressed in dark business suits pass through the corners, none of them stopping to look around. Ianto easily finds a secluded park bench, hidden from the rest of the world by a small grove of trees. Sitting down, Ianto lets the reality of his situation settle in.

He is a thirteen years old boy in a foreign city surrounded by people he does not know. He has no job, just a few hundred pounds hidden in his backpack, and nowhere to go. He has spent most of his life on his own, but this is the first time that he is well and truly alone.

 _Maybe I should've gone to stay with Rhiannon and Johnny,_ Ianto thinks. _Even though I hate him._ Facing her sister's stupid husband wouldn't have been as hard as being alone in London. Ianto quickly dismisses the idea as a realization flicks through his mind. _Rhi would've sent me back to Tad, and I would've gone._ Being alone in London was better than having to face his father's wrath. Anything was better than that.

His mind made up, Ianto fishes the London guide book out of the top of his bag and begins flipping through it, looking for a shelter he can stay the night at.

"What are you doing here?"

Ianto is pulled out of his thoughts by a petulant voice to his left. His eyes drift to the edge of the grove, where a small, blonde girl stands with her arms crossed over her chest. She stares at Ianto expectantly, as if he owes her an answer for his existence.

"I'm sitting," Ianto answers as if it is obvious, which it is. The girl was probably around ten, she should be able to tell what Ianto was doing by now.

The girl rolls her eyes. "I know that, genius. What are you doing here in _my_ spot?"

"This is your spot?" Ianto lifts an eyebrow. "I don't see your name on it."

"You don't know my name, so how could you know if it's on it?" The girl jutted out her chin defiantly.

Ianto glances at the plaque behind him. _In Memory of Rosemary H. Jones, a Loving Wife and Mother_ , it reads. "Are you Rosemary H. Jones?" he asked teasingly. Maybe it is a little immature to bother the girl this way, but it is lifting Ianto's spirits, so he can't bring himself to care.

"I'm Rose," the girl answers, "And since my name is on the bench, but yours is not, it belongs to me."

A smile tugs at Ianto's lips but he doesn't let it escape. "Ah, but you see, my name _is_ on the bench. It could just as easily belong to be."

"Your name's not Rosemary," Rose says, "That's a girl's name."

"It's not," Ianto agrees, "but my name is Ianto Jones. I'd say that gives me more of a right to the bench than you. I could be related to this Rosemary H. Jones for all we know. We could be long lost cousins. In fact, I think we are."

Rose frowns. Ianto can see the gears turning in her mind, trying to come up with a rebuttal to Ianto's snark. Deciding to take pity on the girl, he says, "And, as a long lost relative of Rosemary H. Jones, I have decided that you can share my bench."

A grin breaks across Rose's face as Ianto scoots to the side, leaving room for the small girl. She plops down beside Ianto, sitting a little too close for him to be comfortable. Ianto returns to his guide book, flipping through the pages as he searches for answers. "Where are you from?" Rose asks after an uncomfortable moment of silence.

"Who says I'm from somewhere else?"

"I do," Rose says. "You talk funny."

" _You_ talk funny," Ianto retorts.

Rose shakes her head. "You don't sound like you're from London. I do. You sound like your from somewhere else. Like Scotland."

Ianto chokes on his laughter. "Scotland? You think I sound Scottish?"

Rose shrugs. "You don't sound like your from England, so you're probably from Scotland."

"I'm Welsh," Ianto says, offended that Rose would dare to believe that he was Scottish.

"You're from Wales?"

"Yes."

"I've never been to Wales," Rose says. "Never been anywhere, really."

"Travel isn't what it's chalked up to be," Ianto says, his mind drifting to his current predicament.

Before he has the chance to dwell on it, Rose asks another question. She asks a lot of questions, Ianto begins to realize. "If you're from Wales, then what're you doing in London?"

"I ran away," Ianto answers honestly.

"Oh." Rose glances over him, taking in the guidebook and the backpack. "How's that going for you?"

"Not so good." Ianto doesn't know why he's telling Rose the truth. There's something about her that speaks to him, that makes him lower his guard and want to befriend her.

"Are you going to give up? Go back to Wales?"

"No." Ianto shakes his head. He waves the guidebook in Rose's face. "I'm looking for a place to stay right now. I can't go back."

"Why not?"

"Just can't." Ianto might be willing to tell Rose certain truths about himself, but he's not going to tell him about his father. Rose is too good to ever learn about scumbags like his father.

"Can't or won't?"

"Both."

"Oh," Rose says again. She stares at Ianto again, scrutinizing him with her warm brown eyes. Ianto wonders what she sees when she looks at him. Does she see a scared thirteen-year-old boy? Does she see something else? Finally, Rose says, "If you need a place to stay, you could live with me and my Mum. We have a lovely new couch you could sleep on."

Ianto blinks. Of all the things he expected Rose to say, that was not one of them. He knows that he should turn it down––that he should find the nearest shelter and crash there––but the look in Rose's eyes stops him. Her eyes are so full of hope and kindness. "Are you sure?"

Rose nods. "You shared your bench with me, Ianto Jones. I think it's only fair."

Ianto can't believe that he does it, but he takes Rose up on her offer. The girl grabs his hand, dragging him through the streets of London. She navigates the underground with ease, and eventually, they arrive at the Powell Estate. There, Ianto meets Jackie Tyler, who takes one look at him and drags him inside, insisting that he needs to eat if he ever wants to grow up to be tall and handsome. Sitting at the kitchen table with the Tylers, Ianto feels himself smile, his first true smile since his mother died. He sleeps on the couch that night, promising to get out of the Tyler's hair as soon as he's able.

He never does.

He could blame Jackie or Rose for it––Rose with her flimsy excuses about needed help on her homework––Jackie with her constant requests for that she needs a lad to help with repairs (of which there are only a handful)––but he doesn't. Ianto blames himself. He likes the Tylers. He likes the family atmosphere that seems complete, despite Rose's missing father. He likes Rose's questions and Jackie's bossiness. He likes them, and so he stays.

He picks up odd jobs around the Estate, fixing the neighbors sink when it breaks and babysitting the Heartstrom kids. He tries to pay Jackie, but she insists that the couch is free-of-charge. Ianto slips the cash into Jackie's purse when she's not looking. He convinces Jackie to let him do the cooking in repayment, to Rose's delight. They fall into a routine. Rose goes to school. Jackie goes to work. Ianto helps out the neighbors.

Three weeks into Ianto's staying with the Tylers, Jackie pulls Ianto aside while Rose is getting ready for school. "Right, Ianto," she says, "the neighbors love all the help you've been, but you need to go to school."

"I don't-"

"There's no point in arguing," Jackie interrupts. "You're thirteen. You should be in school. When you're sixteen, you can drop out of school and do whatever you want, but until then, you are a kid and you've got to go to school."

Ianto relents. "How are you going to get me enrolled in school when I'm supposed to be in Wales?"

Jackie grins mischievously. "Don't worry, sweetheart. I've got a special relationship with the headmaster of the secondary school." She winks at Ianto, which he assumes means that Jackie has some sort of blackmail over the man. He can't bring himself to care.

Rose is ecstatic that Ianto is going to school, which is just down the road from her own primary school. She's told him all about her school and her friends, of which she has many, and she's excited that they'll finally have the chance to meet Ianto. Jackie makes good on her promise. Before Ianto has time to process it, he's enrolled in secondary school.

It's not the best school in London––it's probably not even a good school––but no one knows him here. He's the new kid, a mystery wrapped up in an enigma, and Ianto discovers that he likes it. He can be anyone he wants to be. He chooses to fade into the background, listening and watching, mentally cataloging everything that goes on around him. He enjoys being in the background. It's interesting to watch his peers, like watching an overly-dramatic, poorly-acted television drama. Soon, Ianto knows nearly everything that goes on in the school, even if no one knows that he does.

He's sitting in the canteen eating lunch, surrounded by little dramas from his peers (one of the girl's at the table over, Kelsey, recently broke up with her boyfriend––for the fifth time. Andrew L and Andrew M aren't talking to each other because they like the same girl, so they're sitting on opposite sides of the cafeteria. Justin at the table behind him is running a business stealing test answers) when a boy sits down across from him. Ianto recognizes the boy. Mickey Smith, good with technology even if he hasn't got the grades to back it up. He's in the middle of the crowd socially, a good place to be.

"I heard a rumor that you're secretly a lord or something like that," Mickey says.

Ianto hums, "Did you?"

"Yeah. Trisha is telling everyone that you're a prince-"

"I thought I was a lord."

"What's the difference?" Mickey glances at Ianto. "There's a Prince of Wales, isn't there?"

"There is," Ianto says, "but he isn't Welsh."

Mickey shrugs, dismissing the subject. "Anyways, I was wondering if you were really a prince, because the way I see it, ain't no way a prince is going to our crappy school."

"I could be undercover like James Bond." Ianto loves James Bond films. He always has. He used to watch them with his mother and grandmother before they passed away. He misses Bond film nights.

"If you were James Bond, then you'd be a spy, not a prince," Mickey points out.

"I could be the Prince of Spies."

Mickey arched an eyebrow. "You think they've got one of those?"

"Robin Hood's the Prince of Thieves. It could be possible."

"Yeah. But Robin Hood wasn't real-"

"He was, actually," Ianto says, because if there's one thing that he's good at it's history. History, coffee, and organization. He wonders how he'll ever find a job to utilize those three skills. "He lived during the reign of Richard the Lionhart. Though, his name probably wasn't _Robin Hood_."

"You're kidding me, right?" Ianto shakes his head at Mickey's question. Mickey smiles. It's wide and mischievous and Ianto likes it. Mickey reminds him of Rose, only with less questions. "Who would've thought? I tell you what, Prince of Spies, you're pretty cool."

After that, Mickey becomes his friend––his first friend in London if Ianto doesn't count Rose. Mickey's friends accept Ianto into their group, and he becomes one of the lads. He likes it. He likes fitting in, even if he still has a tendency to fade into the background. Mickey notices. After a night of meeting up at Kevin's flat to watch the game, Mickey tells Ianto, "There's a reason I call you the Prince of Spies, y'know. Ianto Jones knows everything about everyone."

"Not everything," Ianto insists.

"Really? What do you know about Kendall Lexington?"

"Why?"

"'Cause I like her, that's why. What's the point of having a mate who knows everyone's secrets if he won't tell you them?" Ianto gives into Mickey's pestering, filling him in with the details he's learned about Kendall.

As the months' pass, Ianto settles into life with the Tylers. It feels good––normal. He writes Rhi, and she writes back, but she doesn't seem too concerned about Ianto, having believed his lies about living with a friend from back home whose family moved to London. Ianto doesn't feel the need to tell her more. They've never been close, and they never will be. He accepts that as a fact.

Jackie gets a used twin bed from a guy she's seeing. They spend the Christmas holidays moving Rose and Ianto into the master bedroom while Jackie takes Rose's old room. She hangs up a curtain so that they can have privacy when they need it. Rose makes an executive decision that the curtain will only be pulled shut when one of them is changing. Ianto doesn't protest.

The years pass. Ianto hangs out with Mickey and his mates. Rose joins them at secondary school, almost immediately developing a huge crush on Mickey. Thankfully, Ianto's best friend doesn't notice. Ianto is thankful for his life in London––for Rose, and Jackie, and Mickey. He's happy to slide into the background and watch. Best of all, Rose, Jackie, and Mickey are happy to let him.

In year ten, Ianto kisses Mark Hudson in the janitor's closet. Mark kisses him back. It's nice, simple and sweet. Neither of them talks about it afterward. Mark starts dating Trisha Delaney. He doesn't talk to Ianto again. A part of Ianto is frustrated, but a part of him understands. He was scared of his feelings towards Mark too. It's for the best that they both return to dating girls (not that Ianto dates, really. Dating it too complicated).

He tells Rose one night. She's fast asleep, but Ianto can't join her in the darkness. Thoughts of everything that happened plaguing his mind. "I think I like boys," he whispers in the dark, sure that Rose is asleep. It feels good to say the words, even if Rose isn't awake to hear them. He embraces the silence.

"I like boys too," Rose says.

Suddenly, Ianto's heart is pounding in his chest. "It's not just boys," he scrambles to correct, "I like girls too."

"I don't see how." Ianto watched Rose roll over in the dark and click on the light on the nightstand inbetween them. He squints at the sudden brightness. "Girls are so dramatic," Rose says. "Boys aren't." Ianto supposes, that the boys in Rose's year really aren't as complicated as the girls yet. She's only twelve.

"They'll become dramatic," Ianto says. "Just wait until you're fifteen. You'll see."

"Mickey isn't dramatic."

"Mickey is the most dramatic of all of my friends," Ianto says. "He's a drama queen. Could rival you probably." Rose lobs a pillow at his head. Ianto bats it away. "You're okay though, with…" He doesn't want to finish his statement, bringing them both back to reality.

"I think so," Rose says. "I mean, you're still Ianto. You're still my brother."

The breath leaves Ianto's lungs. Rose has never called him her brother before. After all, they're not related, but, hearing her say the words, Ianto feels happier than he's ever felt. "Thanks," he whispers.

"No problem."

The years pass. Mickey finds out about Ianto, and he's fine with it as long as Ianto's not attracted to him. Ianto promises Mickey that he would never in a hundred years be attracted to him. Mickey's insulted after that. They welcome in the millennia together, him and Rose and Mickey and Jackie and Mickey's gran.

Jackie finds out shortly after graduation. Ianto's finally gotten a job working at the coffee shop, so Jackie's letting him help pay for rent.

One night, he's sitting in the living room reading a book on Roman history, when Jackie places a cup of tea in front of him. Ianto takes it, feeling the warm mug between his fingers like a hug. He's the coffee-master. Jackie's the tea-mistress. Rose can't brew either to save her life. "Thanks," he says, closing the book as Jackie sits down across from him.

"So, you've finally graduated," Jackie says. "Any plans?"

"I can get my own place if I'm too much-"

"Don't you dare." Jackie glares at Ianto. "I don't think I could go back to drinking instant after everything you've introduced us to, and I can't brew a proper cup. I was asking more if you had any plans. Y'know, anyone special? Rose keeps going on and on about that Jimmy Stone. She's properly hung up on him."

Ianto frowns at the mention of Jimmy Stone. The boy was in Ianto's grade. He's warned Jimmy off of Rose several times, but the man couldn't take a hint. "I don't like him," Ianto muttered.

"Course you don't," Jackie laughs. "I won't have you getting all man-of-the-house, now. Rose really likes him. Says he's nice. 'Sides I thought you'd be glad she likes someone other than Mickey, now." Jackie patted Ianto's leg reassuringly. "Now, I want to know if you've found yourself a nice girl yet?"

Ianto takes a sip of tea and says, "It might not be a girl."

Jackie arches an eyebrow. She hums. "I guess that explains the fashion sense."

Ianto blinks, surprised. "What?"

"Just that you've always dressed nicer than your friends, even if everything you get is from a thrift store." Jackie sighed. "You're the only seventeen-year-old I know who taught themselves how to tailor. All of my friends wish they had sons like you." Jackie grins. "I guess I just got lucky."

Ianto can't stop himself from crying. A weight lifts from his chest. He knows that Rhiannon would be shocked, asking questions before trying to get Ianto to pick a side. His father would try to beat the queer out of him. Jackie doesn't even blink, instead wrapping her arms around Ianto and offering to brew him another cup of tea, even though he already has one right in front of him.

A few months later, Rose drops out of school and runs away to live with Jimmy Stone in a shitty flat in Lambeth. She tells them that she's fine, but, while Jackie believes her, Ianto doesn't. He visits her, trying to convince her to come back––to graduate from school before moving in with a bloke three years older than her. She refuses. Not wanting to be cut out of Rose's life entirely, Ianto stops pestering her about Jimmy.

Five months later, when Rose comes home in tears declaring that everything is over with Jimmy, Ianto tracks down the man and gives him a black eye, telling him to stop preying on teenage girls. He doubts that Jimmy listens to him, but Ianto doesn't care. He goes home to Rose and Jackie and does what he can to help. With his help, Rose barely manages to pass her A Levels. Then, she gets a job in a department store.

Life continues for Ianto's small family. Jackie goes through a string of boyfriends. Ianto doesn't protest when Rose starts dating Mickey when she's eighteen. Mickey's a better guy than Jimmy. Ianto knows that he'll do right by Rose.

A woman by the name of Yvonne Hartman starts ordering coffee from Miriam's shop frequently. She talks to Ianto about her work, although Ianto can never seem to remember the details. He gets the feeling that she's someone important. That feeling is confirmed when his boss is killed and Yvonne offers him (and his organizational mind) a job at the Torchwood Institute. She gives him her phone number, telling him to think about it.

In March 2005, Rose's department store blows up. Ianto is there to comfort her the following night, even as Jackie walks around on the phone, ranting about how Rose could've been killed and she should demand compensation. Ianto is at work when Rose goes on her adventure, fighting aliens. He isn't there when she runs away, into a blue box that can travel through space and time. When Mickey bursts into his room to explain all of the chaos that has happened to him, Ianto makes up his mind.

He picks up his phone and dials Yvonne Hartman's number. "I'll do it," he says.

He can hear the smug smile in her voice. "Good. I'll see you tomorrow morning. Canary Warf." She hangs up.

As Ianto puts the phone down, Mickey asks, "What did you just do?"

"I think I just got a job hunting aliens," Ianto says, not one-hundred-percent sure what he's supposed to do at Torchwood.

"What? Why?"

"Someone's got to keep an eye on Rose." Ianto glances at Mickey. He won't let a Jimmy-Stone-incident happen again. Never again. "So, now I'm going to be working for a secret organization that hunts aliens and stuff. Do you have a better idea for finding out information on this Doctor?"

Mickey cracked a smile. "Always knew you had it in you, Prince of Spies." Ianto tosses a pillow at his head.

The next morning, Ianto Jones meets Yvonne Hartman and her assistant in front of the Torchwood One headquarters in Canary Wharf. He doesn't notice the man in the severely out-of-date R.A.F. jacket watching him from the shadows.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading the prologue to my Ianto/Rose Siblings AU. Several things about Ianto's past and history are going to be changed, but he's still the Welshman that we all know and love. This chapter moved a bit faster than the rest will, but things needed to be explained.
> 
> Eventual Ianto/Jack, Rose/Doctor, and Companion!Ianto. For the most part, it will follow cannon, with a few tweaks here and there. There will be no major Gwen bashing. 
> 
> Let me know what you think.
> 
> Next up: Aliens of London


	2. Aliens of London

It’s been a year. One whole year without so much as a call from his sister. One year without making jokes or talking to her while she does handstands in the middle of the living room. One year without Rose. 

Ianto hated it.

Sure, there were good moments here and there. His job at Torchwood One is interesting. Hartman stuck him in the archives, where he feels right at home, consuming every piece of information about alien races he can get his hands on. He quickly became the go-to guy if you need information––the only member of the department under the age of forty. He met Lisa, who Mickey teases him about constantly, although he still hasn’t managed to work up the nerve to ask her on a date. There have been good moments throughout the year, yet still…

He misses Rose.

He’s learned everything that he can about the Doctor, reading through every report regardless of how minuscule or huge twice. The Doctor, a name hidden in the depths of history––if you know where to look (and Ianto does. He has the biggest source of information about the Doctor on the planet in the archives of Torchwood One). He’s Torchwood’s enemy number one, although, after his in-depth research, Ianto wonders why that is. 

The Doctor is a hero, always there to save the day, although Ianto quickly realizes that Torchwood and UNIT clean up his messes more often than not. He’s scattered throughout history, hidden throughout time—a man from another planet and his blue box. Usually accompanied by a companion (most of whom have been female), the Doctor has saved the world more times than Ianto can imagine. The deeper he dives into the files, the more Ianto starts to respect the Doctor. 

With the Doctor, Rose is in capable hands, and that bothers Ianto because it’s been a _year_. Three-hundred-and-sixty-five days. Five-hundred-twenty-five-thousand-six-hundred minutes. One-thousand-one-hundred-and-seventeen cups of coffee. It’s been a year, and still Rose hasn’t called. She hasn’t texted. She hasn’t emailed. She hasn’t said a word.

He misses Rose.

He learns how to wield a gun while Rose is away. All Torchwood employees are required to be equipped for the field. Ianto passes his field test with flying colors. He’s a good shot. He goes to the shooting range three times a week to keep up with his skills. At least, that’s what he tells himself. In reality, he’s letting off steam. Shooting has become a way to vent his irritation and anger. 

Mickey’s in better shape than Ianto, but just barely. He’s not happy about Rose running away with an alien bloke, but, as he tells Ianto one night, ‘at least he’s got those ears. If he were handsome, I’d probably be going mad.’ Mickey trusts Rose. Ianto wonders if he’s making a mistake. He loves Rose to death, but she’s always liked men who can make her laugh. Mickey was the safe choice after everything that happened with Jimmy Stone, the dream-boy from her childhood. Ianto never imagined that Rose and Mickey would last, but he can’t say he ever pictured an alien would be the cause of their breakup. 

A year ago, Ianto didn’t believe aliens were real. Now, he has more evidence than he needs to prove that they exist. 

Jackie’s worse than both of them. She didn’t believe Mickey’s explanation about Rose taking a gap year with a time-traveling alien at first. Ianto has to steal some classified files from Torchwood to prove it to her. Thankfully, no one caught him. Even if she believes them now, Jackie’s going mad trying to keep an eye on Rose through the history books. She swears that she’ll slap the Doctor when he returns. Ianto knows that she’s being serious. When it comes to Rose (and Ianto), Jackie Tyler is always serious. 

The year passes. One whole year. Twelve months. Three-hundred-and-sixty-five days spent hidden away in the archives underneath Canary Wharf. 

Ianto misses Rose.

* * *

It’s lunchtime when Ianto gets a call from Jackie. He’s eating at the Pret a Manger across the street from Torchwood, listening to his co-worker, Dave, talk about his middle daughter’s football game last weekend. It amazes Ianto how normal some of his coworkers seem sometimes. The agents upstairs are all closed off and secretive, but the archivists in the basement are strangely ordinary. 

Dave’s happily married with three daughters. Jodi’s recently divorced with two kids who spend every other week with her. Henry’s engaged to a woman from accounting. Emily’s pregnant with twins––a miracle given her age. She’s scheduled to find out their genders in three weeks. They’re all so normal. It gives Ianto hope that he’ll be like them one day. 

When Jackie’s name pops up on caller-ID, Ianto excuses himself. “I’ve got to take this. Family emergency,” he says. 

He’s figured out in the last few years that it’s easier to just pretend Jackie’s related. She’ll never replace his mother, but she was a good guardian. She might not be the most stable of women, have a tendency to value superficial things, and always think her way was the only right way, but Ianto loves her. She’s like an eccentric aunt. 

Flipping open the phone, he says, “You’ve reached Ianto.” The sound of Jackie’s sobs reaches him over the line. Panic instantly floods Ianto’s chest. “What is it? What’s wrong?” There’s no response for a moment, only crying. “Jackie?” Ianto prompts, throwing the remainder of his lunch in the nearby garbage bin. “Jackie? Is everything alright?”

He’s heading to the closest station when Jackie finally answers, “She’s home, Ianto.”

“Rose?” It comes out a wistful sigh because Ianto can’t believe it. He won’t believe it. It’s been a year. One whole year. There’s a dull ache in his chest when he thinks of Rose, and he doesn’t want to get his hopes up.

“Rose,” Jackie confirms, “and that _Doctor_ of her’s.” She spits out the Doctor’s name as if it is the most disgusting thing in the world. 

Ianto descends the stairs towards the underground. “I’m going underground. I’m about to lose you. Don’t worry, Jackie, I’ll be home in fifteen.”

“They’re refusing to tell me what happened. Travelling is all they’ll say.”

“You could always tell them you know the truth,” Ianto suggests.

Jackie laughs bitterly. “I don’t think Rose would believe me if I did. Get home. You’ll be able to talk some sense into her.”

“I wouldn’t count on it.” Ianto shuts his phone, knowing that any more responses wouldn’t get through to Jackie. Ianto slips into the northbound train just as the doors are about to close. Safely inside, he leans against the back of the train, finally allowing Jackie’s words to sink in.

Rose is back.

Ianto can’t keep the grin off of his face. He’s angry. Of course, he’s angry. She left nearly a year ago without any explanations or excuses. She didn’t even pack a bag, which, in Ianto’s opinion, was foolish. He hopes the Doctor had clothing in Rose’s size she could borrow. Then again, maybe not. It would be strange for a man to have a closet full of women’s clothing.

Ianto wants to stay angry. He wants to be irritated and scold Rose, but he knows he won’t be able to do it. Joy is bubbling in his chest. He’s excited. Rose. Is. Back. 

The moment the train arrives at the stop closest to the Powell Estate, Ianto is running out the door. He runs up the stairs, briefly stopping to hug Jackie and promise he’ll try to talk some sense into Rose (not that it’ll work. Rose is notoriously hard to talk sense into). “She’s on the roof,” Jackie says. Ianto nods. He expected it. The roof has always been their refuge from each other.

He stops running as he climbs the remainder of flights to the roof. It’s covered in graffiti from disenfranchised youths (some of the work is Ianto’s––not that anyone knows that. Other than one shoplifting charge when he was twelve, his record’s squeaky clean). Ianto can hear the sound of voices as he approaches what he has come to consider Rose’s spot. One of the voices is his sister’s. The other sounds northern and male: the Doctor. 

“I don’t do families,” says the Doctor.

“She _slapped_ you.” There’s a grin in Rose’s voice. Ianto can imagine Jackie slapping the man of many faces. Only Jackie Tyler. 

“Nine-hundred years of time and space, and I’ve never been slapped by someone’s mother.”

Ianto steps onto the roof, making himself known. “That’s Jackie Tyler for you.” Rose whirls around, her face lighting up at his sudden appearance.

“Ianto!” She throws herself in Ianto’s arms. He catches her easily. He’s gotten a lot stronger since joining Torchwood. “I’m so, so sorry. I didn’t realize that it was a year.” 

“I imagine not.” What remaining anger Ianto’s feeling towards Rose disappears the moment she stares up at him with those big brown eyes, regret evident in them. _She didn’t mean to miss a year,_ Ianto realizes, which can only mean… 

Ianto turns his glare on the man standing behind Rose. He’s tall, broad-shouldered, with close-cropped hair that helps highlight how big his ears are. His nose is rather large. So, this is the Doctor, the man who’s saved history more often than should be possible. Ianto’s first thought on seeing him is that he doesn’t look alien. He looks strangely northern, like Dave from work. 

Rose notices his staring. She glances nervously at the Doctor, then back at Ianto. “Right, Ianny-” (Ianto realizes that she must be really desperate for them to get along if she’s calling him _‘Ianny’_. She only uses nicknames when she thinks she’s in trouble) “-this is the Doctor. I’ve been traveling with him.”

“I know,” Ianto says.

“You do?” Rose is surprised at this.

“Mickey told me,” Ianto explains. Rose pouts at that. Obviously, she had been expecting Mickey to keep her adventure with aliens a secret. _Tough luck,_ Ianto thinks. Mickey might be her boyfriend, but he was Ianto’s best friend first. Even if Rose hadn’t been involved, Mickey probably would have told him about the aliens. 

“So you know that the Doctor’s…”

“An alien who travels through time and space?” Ianto nods. Still glaring daggers at him, he offers the Doctor his hand. “Ianto Jones.”

The Doctor claps his hand in Ianto’s. He grins. “The Doctor. Don’t ask who.”

“I wasn’t going to.” Ianto frowns. “Next time you decide to abduct my baby sister, do us the courtesy of bringing her home before curfew.”

“ _Baby_ sister?” Rose sounds offended. “I’m barely three years younger than you.” 

Ianto smirks. “You’ve been gone a year, Rose. I’m guessing it wasn’t quite as long for you, which means that you might still be nineteen, but I’m twenty-three. It’s a four-year gap now.” Rose glares at him. She never liked the age gap between them. Based on her reaction to Ianto’s words, she still doesn’t. 

“You two are siblings?” the Doctor asks. 

“I told you about Ianto, _Doctor_ ,” Rose says. “He’s adopted.”

“Not legally.”

“Because, that would’ve required getting your father to sign emancipation forms, and _somebody_ didn’t want that.” The way she’s staring at Ianto clearly suggests that she thinks he’s foolish for never officially joining the family. Ianto hadn’t seen a reason to at the time. He’d only had three years left. Things might have been easier, but they may have been so much worse. 

“Hold on.” The Doctor turns to Rose accusingly. “He’s _Welsh_. Your brother’s Welsh and you get onto me about being northern?”

“Yeah, well, you’re an alien. Ianto’s one-hundred percent human.” Rose waves her hand in casual dismissal. 

The Doctor pulls out a device. Based on what Ianto’s read, he can only assume this is his sonic screwdriver. The screwdriver buzzes as he scans Ianto. He frowns at the results. “You’re right. Completely human.” 

Ianto arches an eyebrow at Rose, silently asking, _Was he expecting something else?_ Rose shrugs. _Probably_. Ianto rolls his eyes in response. 

“Stop that,” the Doctor commands. 

“Stop what?” asks Rose. 

“Talking to each other without saying anything. It’s unnerving. Especially since neither one of you is psychic.”

“Did your scan show that?” Ianto quips. Rose stifles a giggle. 

“Yes, it did. It also showed that you’ve been exposed to unusually high amounts of Rift energy. From Cardiff, are you?” 

Ianto blinks, surprised that the Doctor got all of that from one scan. He didn’t even know about the rift in space and time running through Cardiff until he joined Torchwood. That’d been a shock. “I’m from just outside the city, actually,” Ianto says. “How do you know about the Rift?”

“I’m the Doctor. I know everything.” The man smirks even as Rose rolls her eyes. “I think the more important question is how do you know about the Rift? Normal bloke working in a coffee shop––you shouldn’t know anything.”

Ianto feels his cheeks heating. “I started a new job.”

“You did?” Rose blinks, clearly surprised. “Where? Doing what?” 

“Torchwood,” Ianto answers, “I’m a junior researcher.”

"What’s Torchwood?” Rose asks. 

Before Ianto has a chance to answer, the Doctor says, “Humans looking into extraterrestrial life that their puny little brains couldn’t possibly understand.”

“I wouldn’t say-”

“Wouldn’t you?” The Doctor arches an eyebrow. “Torchwood looks at an alien artifact and automatically assumes it’s a weapon.”

_Most of the time, it is a weapon,_ Ianto thinks, but he doesn’t say that to the Doctor. He’s read his files. He knows the Doctor’s a pacifist, even if he’s surrounded by death and destruction. Instead, he turns to Rose, saying, “Torchwood researches aliens. Yes, sometimes we find weapons, but for the most part, we work to keep Earth safe. The Doctor’s not always there to save the day.” The Doctor bristles at Ianto’s suggestion, but he doesn’t deny it. It appears even he knows he has limits.

Rose processes Ianto’s words. Her face lights up. “This means you know about aliens.” She turns to the Doctor. “He knows about aliens. That means I can tell you. I can tell you about all the amazing places I get to see.” Rose wraps an arm around Ianto’s shoulders, grinning. “This is the best.” Ianto smiles in response. 

The Doctor frowns. “Just because he works for Torchwood-”

“Oh, leave off,” Rose says. “You take me to all of these wonderful places. You can’t expect me to tell no one about them.” The Doctor looks like he’s about to argue, but, before he gets the chance, he’s interrupted by the sound of engines whizzing through the sky.

And then, a spaceship crashes into Big Ben.

* * *

Ianto probably would have investigated the crash even if Rose and the Doctor hadn’t dragged him to Westminister. They can’t get any further than Whitehall, traffic blocking the rest of the way to the clocktower. Even the tube station is backed up. The military has already deployed. 

“It’s blocked off,” the Doctor says, frowning as if he couldn’t imagine that someone would dare to block off an alien crash landing. _Honestly,_ Ianto thinks. _He’s supposed to be an expert._

“We’re miles from the center,” Rose adds as if they didn’t just run all the way from the Powell Estate. “The city must be gridlocked. The whole of London must be closing down,”

“That would be UNIT,” Ianto says, eyeing the red caps. He’s never actually encountered Torchwood’s unofficial rival––only ever hearing stories about them from Lisa. “They’re like Torchwood, only more military and run by the government. Torchwood only answers to the queen.”

“Have you ever met the queen?” asks Rose. Ianto shakes his head. “That’s a shame. I’d like to meet her.”

The Doctor grins from ear to ear, ignoring them both in favor of ogling the sight before them. “I can’t believe I’m here to see this. This is fantastic.” 

Ianto glances at Rose. “Is he always like this?” 

“Pretty much. Yeah.”

“What do you mean _‘like this?’_ ”

Ianto ignores the Doctor’s question. “Did you know that this was going to happen?”

“Nope.”

“Do you recognize the ship?” Rose asks.

“Nope.”

“Some help you are,” Rose mutters loud enough for the Doctor to hear. He stares at her, offended. 

“If I could get a little closer, I might be able to recognize it,” Ianto says. 

“I’ve got you covered, Ianto.” The Doctor slaps Ianto on the back in what he is sure is supposed to be a reassuring manner. It’s not. He strolls towards the blockade, reaching into his coat pocket as he does so. 

Ianto glances at Rose, arching an inquisitive eyebrow. _What’s he up to now?_ Rose grins. “You’re gonna want to see this. Psychic paper. It’s brilliant.” She chases after the Doctor. Ianto has little choice but to follow. 

They catch up just as the Doctor starts waffling. “Right, lads. I’m the expert on alien invasions and extraterrestrial life that you boys sent out for. Dr. Smith. That’s my name. Dr. John Smith.” He flashes the blank sheet of paper in front of the armed UNIT guard. “Very qualified to take a look at that spaceship that just took a plunge into the Thames. Highly qualified. Extremely qualified. So qualified that you can’t even begin to imagine-”

“Doctor,” Rose cuts short his rambling. 

The Doctor glances towards Rose, then his eyes flick towards Ianto. “And this is my assistant, Rose, and her assistant, Ianto. They’re also alien experts, but not as expert as I am.”

The UNIT guard studies the Doctor’s fake credentials for a moment before believing them. He huffs. “Follow me.” Ianto’s surprised the Doctor’s rambling worked. How many times has he snuck past Torchwood without them noticing?

They follow the UNIT guard past the barriers down to the waterfront. Ianto glances up at Big Ben as they pass by. A chunk has been taken out of the side of the historic building. “And they’d only just taken off the scaffolding,” Ianto mutters in regret. The famous clocktower is going to be covered up once more for repairs. Ianto will miss it.

“I’m afraid I can’t let you any further,” the UNIT guard says. “Alien expert or not, no extra personnel is allowed into the craft until it’s been cleared by the bomb squad.”

“Right.” The Doctor nods. “Of course. Wouldn’t want us to lose any fingers.” He directs his next question towards Ianto. “You recognize it?”

Ianto peers at the spacecraft in the water. It’s definitely alien, that for certain. There’s a niggling feeling in the back of his mind as he glances over the panels on the side. “I think I saw something similar in Torchwood’s files.” Taking out his phone, he snaps a few low-resolution pictures. “I’m going to have to go to the archives to double-check.”

The UNIT guard frowns. “You’re Torchwood?”

The Doctor shakes his head. “I’m not. He is.”

“I thought you said he was her assistant.”

“Did I?” The Doctor says, completely ignoring the guard before him as a boat makes its way back to shore with a body bag. Something has been recovered. Either that or someone died while investigating the crash. “What’d you find?” the Doctor shouts to the incoming crew. 

“Foreign body,” comes a reply.

The Doctor’s grinning like a kid in a candy store. He nods to the UNIT guard, “Thank you so much for your help,” before dashing away from the crash. Rose and Ianto fall in line beside him. “Rose, go with Ianto to see if Torchwood has anything on the ship.” He passes Rose the psychic paper. “That should work if anyone asks for credentials.”

“Where’re you going?” Rose asks.

“I’m going to take a look at that alien.” The Doctor winks at Rose. “I’ll see you back at the TARDIS when I’ve found something. Or when you’ve found something. But, let’s be real, the first one’s more likely.” With that, the Doctor runs off, leaving Rose and Ianto to their own devices.

“Charming, he is,” Ianto muses sarcastically. 

Rose rolls her eyes. “He’s an alien who travels in time and space. Being eccentric is part of the job.”

“I never said there was anything wrong with being eccentric. Everyone loves a bloke who’s eccentric. It’s just…” Ianto trails off at the look in Rose’s eyes. She’s glaring at him in a way that she hasn’t been since Jimmy Stone. _She fancies him,_ Ianto realizes. She probably doesn’t even realize it yet, but she fancies him. “We should get you a change of clothes.”

Rose looks down at her sweatshirt and jeans, frowning. “What’s wrong with my clothes?”

“They’re not very Torchwood,” Ianto says. He grabs Rose’s hand. It feels good to have her fingers lacing reassuringly through his again after a year without her. “Let’s go.”

* * *

Half an hour later, Ianto has managed to convince Rose to dress appropriately (although calling the tight pencil-skirt and low-cut blouse she’s wearing appropriate Torchwood attire is stretching it) and get into the lowest level of the archives without any trouble. Rose glances around, taking in the computers in the middle of the room, surrounded by shelves filled with alien artifacts on the right and filing cabinets as far as the eye can see to the left.

“So, this is Torchwood,” she says as Ianto logs onto a computer, praying that whatever information they have on the spaceship won’t be highly classified. It shouldn’t be considering that he remembers seeing it.

“Yep,” Ianto says, popping the ‘p.’ “Not what you were expecting?”

“It’s not very Bond, is it?” Rose plops down at the computer beside his. 

“Are you disappointed?”

Rose shrugs. “I just thought you’d somehow managed to become a spy. This looks like a library.”

“It is a library,” Ianto points out, skimming the Torchwood One information on alien crafts. “Just a bit more alien than usual.”

“Can’t say I ever pictured you working in a library,” Rose says, “Even an alien one.”

“I am good at organization,” Ianto says, “Can’t say I ever pictured you running away to travel the stars with an alien.”

Rose winces. “Yeah. I’m sorry about that.”

Ianto glances away from the computer for the first time, focusing on Rose. She looks so guilty, regret clearly written in her eyes. Ianto places a hand on her’s. He’s never been one for physical touch, but it’s one of Rose’s love languages. He’s always been willing to make exceptions for her. “I would’ve done the same if I’d encountered the Doctor instead of you.”

“Really?”

Ianto nods. “Probably would’ve told Jackie about it so she didn’t freak out and asked Mickey along, but yes.”

“Mickey. Oh, Mickey.” Rose covers her mouth with her hand. “He must think I’m the worst girlfriend in the world.”

“Surprisingly, he doesn’t,” Ianto says, turning back to the computer. “He’s mad at you, but he’ll be happy that you’re back. He always believed you’d come back.”

“And you didn’t?”

Ianto shrugs. “You might’ve found someplace better. Couldn’t blame you for doing the exact same thing I’ve done to Rhiannon. I figured you leaving for good was always a possibility.”

“Always the pessimist,” Rose scolds. 

She might have a point. Ianto’s thoughts tend to turn dark when he’s alone. He’s never been clinically diagnosed with anything. If he were to psychoanalyze himself, he’d say that his mindset’s a result of growing up with his father. It was better not to get his hopes up. “I’m a realist,” Ianto says.

“Just another word for a pessimist.” Rose falls silent for a moment and Ianto takes the opportunity to finish glancing through the database. “I wouldn’t, you know. Leave you and Mum.” 

Ianto doesn’t respond. He wants desperately to believe Rose’s words. He can’t begin to imagine what it would feel like to lose her for good. A year without knowing where she was or what was happening to her was bad enough. Forever is unimaginable. 

“I won’t,” Rose says, “Promise.” She offers Ianto her pinky. 

Ianto arches an eyebrow, glancing down at the finger. “Seriously?”

“Pinky promises are unbreakable.” She loops her finger through Ianto’s and shakes them. Ianto can’t stop the smile that crosses his face as Rose turns to the computer. “Did you find it?”

Ianto shakes his head. “There’s nothing about them in Torchwood One’s archives. I’m going to have to backdoor my way into Three.”

“Three?”

“Torchwood Three,” Ianto clarifies, “They’re in charge of keeping an eye on the Rift in Cardiff, which means they’ve got a more comprehensive database of aliens. Unfortunately, they kind of hate us. Three broke apart from the rest of Torchwood back around two-thousand, which means that almost all Torchwood One employees don’t have access to their records.” 

Rose processes Ianto’s words as Ianto accesses Torchwood Three’s mainframe. “You said almost all. That means there’s at least one Torchwood One employee who can.” Ianto lets a small smile cross his face. Rose’s eyes widen. She smacks his chest. “ _You_. You can just log into their mainframe whenever you want.”

“I’ve only done it twice,” Ianto says defensively.

“But, how?”

Ianto shrugs. “Honestly, I have no idea. From what I’ve heard, their computer analyst catches any hacker within seconds. Hartman hasn’t managed to successfully get into Three. I don’t want her to know that my log-in works for some reason.”

“Why?”

_I don’t trust her,_ is the real reason, but Ianto doesn’t want Rose to think his job is any more dangerous than she already does. “I feel like it might stop working if I do,” Ianto says, which is a definite fear of his.

“Why does it work?”

“Luck, I guess.” Ianto accesses Torchwood Three’s database on aliens, quickly flicking through drawings, illustrations, and photographs. He finally comes across one that matches the image on his phone. “Found it. It’s from a planet called Raxa…” Ianto trails off as he peers at the super long name on the file.

Rose leans over his shoulder. “Raxa-cori-fall-pato-rius.” 

“I think it’s Raxa-corico-falla-pat-orius,” Ianto corrects.

“How do you figure?”

“Is there anything else that makes sense?” Ianto retorts.

“It’s an alien planet,” Rose points out. “It’s not supposed to make sense.”

“I’m sure it does to them.”

“Yeah, well, they’re aliens.” Before Ianto has the chance to continue their banter, Rose’s cell phone starts ringing. She flips it open and presses a button. “Doctor, you’re on speakerphone. Did you find the alien?”

“It’s a pig,” the Doctor says. There’s a frown in his voice. “Someone put a pig in a spaceship and caused it to crash into earth.” He sighs. “I don’t suppose you lot managed to find something.”

Rose smiles conspiratorially at Ianto. “Actually, Ianto was able to discover where the ship is from.”

“Really?” The Doctor hums. “Nice work.”

Rose gives Ianto a thumbs up. “It’s from a planet called Raxa-cori-falli…” She trails off as she tries to remember the rest.

“Raxacoricofallapatorius,” Ianto says for her. “Have you ever heard of it?”

“I have. It’s part of the Raxas Alliance,” the Doctor says as if that should mean something to Rose and Ianto. “Rose, I’ll meet you and Ianto back at the TARDIS. We need to find out why there was a pig on a Raxacoricofallapatorian ship.”

* * *

Mickey’s waiting for them outside the TARDIS, leaning against it, trying to look as if he hasn’t a care in the world. He’s failing. The stress is clearly written all over his forehead. He only glances briefly at Ianto, his gaze flicking towards the Doctor with a frown, before lingering in Rose. “If it isn’t Rickey,” the Doctor says as they approach. 

“It’s Mickey,” Mickey corrects.

“Pretty sure it’s Rickey.”

“Pretty sure I know my own name,” Mickey says, his eyes still focused on Rose. He wants to talk to her––to ask her about where she’s been––to ultimately forgive her. Ianto has always been able to read Mickey like an open book. His best friend is nowhere near as good at hiding his emotions as Ianto is. Then again, Ianto doubts anyone’s as good at hiding emotions as he is. Maybe the Doctor, he thinks, but certainly not Rose.

“Come on, Doctor.” Ianto grabs the Doctor’s arm and drags him into his TARDIS. It’s bigger on the inside, Ianto realizes, taking in the industrial interior. It doesn’t look like how he imagined a spaceship to look. Ianto wants to explore every nook and cranny, discover the secrets that the TARDIS is having. 

The Doctor frowns at Ianto. “What was that for?”

“Rose and Mickey need to talk.”

“Why?”

Ianto levels the Doctor with his piercing blue stare. Is he really so oblivious? “Because she left for a year, and never officially broke up with him. Some people might consider her radio silence a break, but her situation is different from most. They need to figure out what they are.”

“What are they?” the Doctor asks, pretending to be disinterested. The curiosity in his voice gives his true feelings away. Ianto files away that piece of information in the back of his mind for later. Perhaps Rose’s unknown feelings aren’t unrequited as he originally assumed. 

“I don’t know,” Ianto answers honestly. “That’s up to them.”

“Right.” The Doctor nods, breaking the moment. He dances towards the consol, skidding to a stop before a screen. He starts fidgeting with the controls. 

Ianto leans against the railing behind him, watching him work. “What are you doing?” 

“Tracing the flight pattern of the spaceship,” the Doctor answers. “We know it came from Raxacoricofallapatorius, but we don’t know where it picked up a pig.”

“Maybe it’s a space pig,” Ianto offers.

“A space pig?” the Doctor asks incredulously. “Do you hear yourself? There’s no such thing as a space pig.” 

Ianto doesn’t have the energy to be insulted by the Doctor’s expression. He’s beginning to think this is just what the Doctor’s like. Not rude, but certainly obnoxious. “Of course there’s no such thing as a space pig,” he says sarcastically as Rose steps into the TARDIS closely followed by Mickey.

“Did you find anything?” Rose asks.

“It’s not a space pig,” Ianto deadpans. “Just a normal earth pig of the bacon variety.”

Rose nods. “What does that mean?”

“It means that aliens haven’t crashed into Earth,” the Doctor says. He tilts the screen so that Rose and Ianto can see it. “They were already here.” The diagram on the screen shows the ship circling around Earth before crashing back down, hitting Big Ben in the process. 

As Rose and the Doctor begin to debate what that could possibly mean, Ianto leans closer to Mickey. “How’d it go?”

“I don’t know.” Mickey stares at Rose, confused. “She probably thinks everything’s good, but––I don’t know––everything, since we met _him_ , has felt like the beginning of the end. It’s not the same.”

“You want to break up?”

“No.” Mickey shakes his head. “No. It’s just… I don’t want to be second best.” Ianto follows Mickey’s line of sight, taking in the Rose watching the Doctor in amazement. “It used to be good before he came around. I thought I’d marry her in a few years. Have a couple of mouthy kids that would annoy the shit out of you. Now, I don’t know… Maybe.”

_So neither of them knows where they stand_ , Ianto thinks. It’s not a great situation for him to be in, unsure of whose side he’ll take when the relationship comes crashing down. He loves both of them. They’re his family. His best mate and his sister. A rock and a hard place. 

Rose and the Doctor start towards the door, having come up with their next course of action. Ianto and Mickey follow. The moment that they step out of the TARDIS, they’re surrounded by bright lights, helicopters, and men in red UNIT caps. Mickey makes a break for it. As Jackie Tyler races out of the building only to be restrained by a few soldiers, the Doctor raises his arms, that smile that Ianto is coming to realize means things are about to get crazier plastered across his face. 

“Take me to your leader.”

* * *

Downing Street is posh. Ianto supposes that’s a given since it’s the official residence of the Prime Minister. Still, Ianto never would have dreamed he’d one day find himself in the middle of 10 Downing Street, surrounded by UNIT soldiers and alien experts. It’s a lot to take in. The Doctor’s arguing with an assistant, Ganesh, on whether or not Rose should be allowed to accompany him.

Ianto steps closer to Rose. “It’s not the queen,” he whispers, “but I never thought I’d see the day we were invited to Downing Street.”

Rose grins. “Two kids who barely passed their A-Levels. The Prime Minister must be screaming at the very thought.”

Ianto glances around, searching for the Prime Minister in question. “I haven’t seen him around, actually.”

“He’s the Prime Minister,” Rose says, “I’m sure he’s busy.” She interrupts the Doctor’s arguing. “We’ll be fine, Doctor. I can look after myself.”

“Are you sure?” There’s concern in his eyes, but also excitement. The Doctor wants to join the expert meeting. He wants to solve the mystery. 

“Totally,” Rose says. “Besides, I’ve got Ianto for protection.” With a grin, the Doctor allows Ganesh to escort him into the meeting room. Rose glances at Ianto. “We’re in the middle of Downing Street, completely unsupervised.”

“A couple regular of delinquents.”

“Not that anyone would believe that about you.” Rose shakes her head fondly. “I hate that you never got caught.” 

Ianto smiles smugly. “So should we go graffiti the Prime Minister’s office? I’m sure I can scrounge up some paint.” 

Before Rose has the chance to take him up on the offer, they’re interrupted by a middle-aged woman in a pink suit. “Are the two of you with the Doctor?”

“I wouldn’t say _with-_ ”

“Yes,” Ianto answers. 

She raises an ID card. “Harriet Jones. MP, Flydale North. Please come with me.” 

Rose glances at Ianto, obviously wondering if it’s a trap. Ianto shrugs in return. _What’s the harm in checking?_ They follow Harriet through the hallways, heading towards a conference room. All answers on whether or not it’s a trap are answered when Harriet pulls out a human-skin suit. Bile rises to Ianto’s throat. “Is that real?”

Harriet nods. “They turn the body into a suit, a disguise for the things to hide inside.” She starts crying. 

Rose automatically goes to comfort her. “It’s all right. I believe you. It’s alien.”

Ianto leans over, examining the suit without touching it. “There’s got to be some serious technology behind this. I’ve never seen anything like it.” Ianto begins searching for any traces of alien technology as Rose comforts Harriet. As he opens the wardrobe, a body falls towards the ground. Ianto skates out of the way. “Rose.”

“Yeah?”

“I found the Prime Minister.” The body on the ground is certainly the same man he’s seen on the television, although not the man he voted for. Rose and Harriet rush to examine the body. “They killed the Prime Minister.” If Ianto were starting an alien invasion, he’d certainly start by killing the PM, but he’d hoped these aliens were dumb.

“Harriet, for God’s sake!” Ganesh burst into the conference room. “This has gone too far. You cannot just wander...” He stops talking when he notices them gathered around the body. “That’s the Prime Minister,” he mutters, shocked. Silence fills the room. “The Prime Minister…”

“Is dead,” Ianto finishes for him. “Probably has been for a while.”

“How can you be so callous about this?” Harriet asks.

“I’m not,” Ianto says. He didn’t know the Prime Minister, but seeing his dead body is still a shock. “If I were starting an alien invasion, the first thing I’d do is kill the leaders…” He trails off as a sudden realization crosses his mind. “And then I’d take out the alien experts.”

There’s a laugh from behind him. Ianto turns to see a short, blonde woman standing in the doorway with a menacing smile. “Oh, you’re clever. Just not clever enough.” She shuts the door behind her.

“But that’s not possible,” Ganesh says, “He left this afternoon. The Prime Minister left Downing Street. He was driven away.” He faces the newcomer, daring her to challenge what he knows.

She does. “And who told you that?” She stalks towards Ganesh, her stance predatory. “Me!” As she starts to unzip her forehead, Ianto makes his mind up. He’s not going to sit around and wait for that thing to crawl out of her skinsuit. 

Ianto grabs Rose’s hand and runs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: Tells myself I'm going to keep every chapter under 5,000 words.
> 
> Chapter 2: 6,500 words.
> 
> Whoops...
> 
> Thanks for reading the second installment of Time Waits for No Man. I am eagerly counting down the episodes until we meet Jack. I'm also trying to do Mickey justice, and, obviously, Ianto. Let me know what you think of the chapter.
> 
> Quick question: How do y'all feel about Owen and Tosh? Obviously, I like them both alone, but I'm on the fence about how I feel about them in a relationship. I haven't made up my mind about them yet.
> 
> Next up: World War Three


	3. World War Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's my best friend's birthday, and I can't see her because of COVID and the weather, so y'all are getting an early update.

_ Ianto grabs Rose’s hand and runs. _

Harriet Jones, MP for Flydale North, follows, holding onto Rose’s hand as if it’s a matter of life or death. Ianto supposes it is. It’s not every day you’re chased by a giant green alien. Based on what Ianto’s read about the many different species that populate the galaxy, these ones are unusually cliche-looking. 

Suddenly, Harriet stops, causing Rose and Ianto to run into each other. “No wait,” she says, maintaining a level-head despite how frantic she obviously is. Ianto’s impressed. “The emergency protocols. They’re still there. We need them.” Before Ianto can protest, Harriet’s dashed in the other direction.

Ianto’s mobile suddenly starts ringing, stopping him from chasing after her. “I’m kinda busy,” he says, not bothering to check the caller ID. Hopefully, it’s not Rhiannon. She doesn’t call often, but this would be really hard to explain to her.

“So am I,” says Mickey. “I just saved Jackie from one of those alien things.” 

“What were they doing going after Jackie?”

“Apparently, she decided the best way to deal with Rose coming back was to rant about it to her friend.” Ianto can practically hear Mickey glaring at Jackie. “Saying all sorts of key-words and getting you lot kidnapped in the process. I’m dropping her at Marlene’s and joining you.”

“Why?” Ianto asks.

“You being chased by aliens?”

As if hearing Mickey’s question, Harriet races out of the room, closely followed by the Slitheen. Ianto breaks into a run. “Yes.”

“Someone has to look out for you, Yan,” Mickey says. “I don’t trust Rose or the Doctor to watch your back. Where are you anyway?”

“10 Downing Street.”

“No shit?”

“Yes shit.” Ianto can’t help but smile. “I’ve gotta go.” He hangs up before Mickey has a chance to answer. As they turn the corner, he glances at Rose, surprised to discover that she’s frowning. Whether it’s from the alien chasing them or Ianto’s chat with Mickey, he isn’t sure. He doesn’t have the time to find out as they skid into the corridor leading towards the lift. 

“Come on,” Ianto tells Rose, dropping her hand as he dashes towards the elevator. As he reaches the doors, the Slitheen bursts into the hallway, separating Ianto from Rose. Ianto meets Rose’s fearful eyes as the alien stalks towards him. 

The elevator doors ding open behind him. A hand reaches out, grabbing the back of Ianto’s jacket, and yanks him into the lift. “Fancy seeing you here, Ianto Jones,” the Doctor says. He pulls out his sonic screwdriver and points it at the doors, forcing them closed. “Where’s Rose?”

“She’s…” Ianto stares at the silver doors in front of him. He glances towards the Doctor, noticing the hard glint in the Doctor’s eyes. “We’ve got to get her.”

“We will,” the Doctor promises as the doors ding open. The Doctor races out of them. Ianto follows closely behind, darting down the stairs to the floor below. The Doctor pulls Ianto to the side, hiding behind a nearby door just in time. Two Slitheen pass by them, their voices coming out in warbled English.

“It does us good to hunt. Purifies the blood.”

“We’ll keep this floor quarantine as our last hunting ground before the final phase.”

_ ‘Final phase?’ _ Ianto mouths at the Doctor. The man shakes his head. He doesn’t know. Ianto sighs.  _ What’s the point in having an alien expert if he doesn’t know everything? _ “They’re hunting Rose and Harriet,” Ianto whispers when the Slitheen are finally out of view. “We need to find them.” Without waiting for the Doctor, Ianto pushes off the wall, following the aliens’ footsteps. 

The Slitheen are talking to each other, taunting a hiding Rose and Harriet, when Ianto stops in front of the door. “How do we stop those things?” he asks because he doubts he can take on an eight-foot alien on his own, let alone three.

The Doctor grabs a fire extinguisher off of the wall. With a grin at Ianto, he rushes inside. Ianto rolls his eyes.  _ What good is a fire extinguisher going to do against an alien? _ Glancing around the hallway, he can’t find a better weapon and charges in after the Doctor, unarmed. He really needs to start carrying a gun on him. Grabbing a lamp off of a cabinet, Ianto throws it at the nearest alien. 

“Out,” the Doctor says, “With us.” Rose and Harriet rush out of hiding, joining Ianto behind the Doctor as he sprays down the Slitheen. To Ianto’s surprise, it’s working. He makes a mental note to not underestimate the Doctor again. “Who the hell are you?” the Doctor asks Harriet.

“Harriet Jones-”

“MP for Flydale North,” Ianto finishes for her.

“Do you know each other?” the Doctor asks Ianto and Harriet. 

“Not really,” Harriet answers, “Should we?”

“Two Jones in one place. What’re the odds?”

“It’s a common last name,” Ianto points out. “Let’s go.” Taking the lead, Ianto races out of the room. Rose, Harriet, and the Doctor are on his tail. 

“We need to head to the cabinet room,” the Doctor instructs. 

“On it.” Ianto leads them through the twisting hallways, calling to mind the blueprints for Downing Street he’d read over in the Torchwood archives. The cabinet room is the most protected room in the building––maybe even the entire nation. Three feet of steel on every side. Of course, that could cause a problem if they were to get trapped. 

Ianto throws open the doors to the cabinet room, shutting them behind them as the last of their group scrambles inside. The Doctor heads towards the other doors, but the Slitheen are too quick. He grabs a decanter, holding his sonic screwdriver up to it. “One more move and my sonic device will triplicate the flammability of this alcohol. Whoof, we all go up. So back off.”

The Slitheen take a step back. Ianto’s impressed. The Doctor can be an intimidating man when he wants to. “Right then. Question time. Who exactly are the Slitheen?” 

“They're aliens,” Harriet answers.

“Yes. I got that, thanks.”

“Who are you, if not human?” asks the lead Slitheen.

“Who's not human?” Harriet asks.

“He's not human,” Ianto says at the same time as Rose. He meets her eyes with a smile. It’s good to have her back.

As the Doctor continues his interrogation, Ianto sneaks away from the group. The wonderful thing about blending into the background, he’s learned over the years, is that no one ever seems to notice when you’re not there. Ianto reaches the closest window. Amazingly, it’s not bolted down. They’re two stories up from the ground floor, but there’s a balcony on the ground beneath them that Ianto is fairly sure he can jump to.

Sliding the window open, Ianto climbs onto the ledge. “Rose,” he whispers, drawing his sister’s attention as the Doctor rants about the history of the cabinet room. Ianto would be impressed if he weren’t so busy finding them a way out. Rose meets his eyes just as the Doctor slams his hand against a button. Steel slams into the window Ianto was climbing through mere seconds before. Ianto loses his balance and plummets. 

The wind is knocked out of his lungs as Ianto lands on the balcony below. A pain shoots through his shoulder, and Ianto knows that he’s going to have a nasty bruise. Ianto takes a second to pull himself up, cataloging his surroundings in a moment. He climbs down the balcony, jumping into the alley behind Downing Street. Keeping close to the wall, Ianto keeps his head down. He slips past the reporters and police officers in front of Downing Street. Once he’s passed them, he pulls out his phone and calls Rose.

“Ianto?” He’s surprised that she has reception surrounded by three feet of steel, but he’s sure that the Doctor has something to do with it. 

“Ianto Jones!” the Doctor exclaims, “It’s wonderful to hear your voice.”

“You’re trapped inside the cabinet room,” Ianto says. “That steel protects you from them, but you can’t do anything. They’re probably searching the alley for me as we speak. They’ll post a guard out there if they’re smart.”

“Which they are. Unfortunately.” 

Ianto’s phone rings. He glances down to see Mickey’s caller ID. “That’s Mickey,” he says, “I gotta take this.” He hears the Doctor ask why Rickey’s calling before putting them on hold. “You’ve reached Ianto Jones.”

Mickey chuckles. “I’m a block away. I can’t get close. They’ve blocked off the entire area. What’s going on?”

“Alien invasion,” Ianto answers.

“Let me guess: Rose has gotten herself caught up in the middle of it?”

“Bingo. Stay where you are, I’m coming to you.” With that, Ianto hangs up on Mickey and switches back to Rose and the Doctor. “Alright, Mickey’s here. I’ve got a ride. What’s the plan?” 

“Get to a computer,” the Doctor orders, “I need to know what they’re doing, and I have a feeling that their spaceship holds the answers.”

“Got it.” Ianto spots Mickey’s car waiting on the side of the street. “I’ll call you when I’ve got one.” He puts the phone on mute, sliding into Mickey’s passenger seat with the ramblings of the Doctor in the background. “Good to see you in one piece.” 

“Same with you,” Mickey says. “Where to?”

“Torchwood.”

* * *

Getting a computer from Torchwood isn’t as hard as Ianto assumed it would be. The woman in charge of the technology library is only too happy to lend him one, making him promise that he won’t take it off of Torchwood property. Ianto promises that he will, fully intending to break it. He also snatches a pair of earbuds from the library, plugging them into his phone so he can listen to what the Doctor is saying without holding his phone up to his ear. 

“Harriet Jones. I've heard that name before. Harriet Jones. You're not famous for anything, are you?”

Ianto knows she’s blushing. “Oh, hardly.”

“Rings a bell. Harriet Jones?”

“Lifelong backbencher I'm afraid, and a fat lot of use I'm being now. The Protocols are redundant. They list the people who could help and they're all dead downstairs.”

“Hasn't it got, like, defense codes and things? Couldn't we just launch a nuclear bomb at them?” Ianto smirks at Rose’s suggestion, even as Harriet says, “You're a very violent young woman.”

“I'm serious. We could.”

“Well, there's nothing like that in here. Nuclear strikes do need a release code, yes, but it's kept secret by the United Nations.”

Mickey’s waiting in the car a few blocks away. All that he needs to do is get out of the lobby, and then Ianto’s free. He unmuted his phone as he exits the stairwell, sneaking through the library. “Got a computer,” Ianto says, “I’ll be able to-”

“Ianto?” 

Ianto mentally curses as he hears Lisa call his name. Any other time, he would be ecstatic to talk to her––he’d look for any excuse to talk to her––but right now is not the ideal time. 

“Who’s that?” the Doctor asks. 

“Lisa Hallett,” is all Ianto manages to say before the woman in question catches up to him. She puts a hand on his shoulder stopping him. Ianto turns around, coming face to face with her. 

“Who’s Lisa Hallett?” Rose asks, intrigued.

Despite himself, he feels his nerves rise. He’s just a junior researcher, but Lisa’s a field agent, quickly working her way to being Hartman’s second. She’s important here. They really shouldn’t run in the same circles, but Lisa uses Ianto as her primary researcher. Not that Ianto minds. She’s pretty. Really pretty. He’s got something of a crush on the agent.

“Just the man I’ve been looking for,” Lisa says. She gives him a smile that would normally make Ianto’s stomach flutter but fills it with dread at this moment. “I need a favor.”

“She needs a  _ favor _ ,” Rose’s voice is laced with innuendo. Ianto wishes he could tell her to shut up. 

“Miss Hallett-”

“Lisa,” she corrects him like she always does. 

Ianto would usually protest. The difference in their ranks is stark and Torchwood wouldn’t appreciate the informality. It’s a testimony to how desperate he is that he uses her given name, “Lisa, normally I would love to help you, but I’m busy at the moment.”

“Doing what?”

“Research stuff,” Ianto answers as the Doctor whispers, “Oh, this one’s  _ brilliant _ at lying,” in his ear.

Lisa’s eyes narrow. Her gaze flicks from the earbud in Ianto’s ear to the laptop under his arm. “This has something to do with your sister, doesn’t it?”

Ianto blinks. “How do you-”

“I read over your file after we met the first time,” Lisa says, “Wanted to make sure my researcher was trustworthy. She’s off with  _ him _ , isn’t she?”

“I… um…” Torchwood has a very odd relationship with the Doctor. Their aversion to the Time Lord is rumored to be one of the reasons Three split. Some people hate the man. Some are indifferent. Some have been saved by him. He doesn’t know what camp Lisa lands in. 

Lisa takes his non-answer as an answer. “Whatever’s going on, I want to help,” she says.

“You can’t tell Hartman.”

“Like I would tell her. Besides, she’s too distracted by the spaceship in the Thames at the moment. UNIT won’t let her anywhere near it. It’s driving her mad.” Lisa jerks her head to the stairwell. “Let’s go to my office.”

“Okay,” Ianto agrees, “but a mate of mine’s waiting in the car. He’s crucial to saving the world.”

“He is not,” the Doctor protests over the line. 

“I’ll get him clearance,” Lisa says, “George owes me. Go to my office. I’ll bring him up there once I’ve got him.” She grabs the laptop. “And give me this. It’s bugged.”

“Of course, it is.” 

Lisa grins at Ianto as she races out the door to find Mickey. Ianto climbs four flights of stairs, holing himself away in Lisa’s third-floor office. It’s small but nice. Tastefully decorated. Ianto pulls out his earbuds and places the Doctor on speakerphone as he boots up Lisa’s computer.

“So,” Rose says, “who’s Lisa Hallett?”

“She’s an agent,” Ianto answers plainly. “I work with her occasionally.”

“What kind of work?”

“That’s classified.”

“She sounds pretty. Are you going to ask her out?”

“There are more important things at stake than your brother’s love life,” the Doctor scolds. Ianto silently agrees. “Ianto, you need to hack into UNIT and see what you can find out about that ship. Password’s ‘buffalo,’ two F’s, one L.”

Ianto follows the Doctor’s instructions, keeping one monitor focused on Torchwood resources while using the other one to hack into UNIT. He’d prefer to only use Torchwood, but with the trouble they’re giving Hartman, he doubts they’ll be willingly sharing their information anytime soon. 

“Big Ben,” the Doctor mutters, “why did the Slitheen go and hit Big Ben?”

“A distraction,” Ianto offers.

The Doctor claps his hands together. “Ianto Jones, you’re brilliant. Absolutely brilliant.”

There’s a knock at the door before Lisa slips inside, closely followed by an impressed-looking Mickey. Lisa and Mickey pull up chairs, sitting on either side of Ianto. Mickey peers at the computer screen as Ianto finds the information on the spaceship. “Why’s it doing that?” he asks.

“It’s transmitting a signal,” Lisa says. 

“Why haven’t they stopped it?” Mickey asks.

“Because they’re UNIT,” the annoyance that all Torchwood employees seem to feel about UNIT is clear in Lisa’s voice. “Probably couldn’t figure out how.”

“Mickey’s got a point, though,” Ianto says. “Why haven’t they turned it off? Why are the Slitheen projecting their position in the first place? Doesn’t seem wise to tell everyone where you are when you’re trying to take over a planet.”

“That’s exactly what they’re doing,” the Doctor says, “Only they’re not telling you lot. They’re telling everyone else.”

“I’ll see if I can trace where it’s going.” Opening the top drawer of her desk, Lisa pulls out a laptop. “This one isn’t bugged,” she says with a smile before logging into the Torchwood network. 

“Turn up the signal.” 

Ianto follows the Doctor’s orders. The signal rings through the room, pinging off the walls. Ianto sits back, closing his eyes as he listens to it. There’s something vaguely terrifying about the sound. These aliens killed the Prime Minister. They killed so many people. Whatever this sound was, it was purposeful. He doesn’t doubt this noise will haunt his nightmares.

“You need to see this.” Ianto’s eyes snap open at Lisa’s words. She turns the laptop screen towards Mickey and Ianto. She’s pulled up a BBC newscast. A man stands before Downing Street.  _ Not a man _ , Ianto reminds himself,  _ an alien in a man-suit _ . 

“The experts are dead,” the man, Green, says, “murdered right in front of me by alien hands.”

“Murdered by your hands, more like it,” Mickey snarks. 

Ianto turns off the signal. “Doctor, you need to hear this.” Lisa turns up the volume on her laptop to full power.

Green continues, “Peoples of the Earth, heed my words. These visitors do not come in peace. Our inspectors have searched the sky above our heads, And they have found massive weapons of destruction, capable of being deployed within forty-five seconds. Our technicians can baffle the alien probes, but not for long. We are facing extinction unless we strike first. The United Kingdom stands directly beneath the belly of the mother ship. I beg of the United Nations, pass an emergency resolution. Give us the access codes. A nuclear strike at the Heart of the beast is our only chance of survival Because from this moment on it is my solemn duty to inform you planet Earth is at war.”

“He's making it up,” says the Doctor, “There's no weapons up there, there's no threat. He just invented it.”

“Do you think they'll believe him?” asks Harriet.

“They did last time,” Rose mutters.

“That's why the Slitheen went for spectacle. They want the whole world panicking, because you lot, you get scared, you lash out.”

“They release the defense codes,” Rose adds.

“And the Slitheen go nuclear.”

Ianto glances at Mickey. They’re in trouble. “Aren’t Raxacoricofallapotorians supposed to be peaceful?” he asks. It’s been irritating him all day. Everything he’s read suggests that Raxacoricofallapotorians aren’t the kind of little green men who destroy planets. Why would they start now?

“The Slitheen aren’t working on behalf of their home planet,” the Doctor says, “They’re criminals. Mobsters.”

“The Godfather wants to blow up Earth,” Mickey says, his face still as the reality of their situation sinks in. The world could be destroyed this afternoon.

“That they do, Rickey-boy.” It’s a testament to how serious everything is that Mickey doesn’t correct him. 

“I’m going to run interference with Hartman,” Lisa decides. “See if I can stop her from firing any space lasers since there’s not anything up there.” Ianto watches her go before returning his focus to the transmitting spaceship.

“Why would they nuke everything?” Rose asks. “Not much you can do with a dead planet.”

“Except sell it for scrap,” Ianto mutters. 

“Sell it for scrap!” the Doctor exclaims. “That’s what the signal is. An advert for a sale. Come one and all. Earth’s for sale. Ianto, my boy, you’re on fire.”

Arching an eyebrow, Ianto glances at Mickey. Despite the sweat on his brow, the other man rolls his eyes. “Thanks.”

* * *

Ianto never thought the end of the world would include so much waiting. He flips through the Torchwood database, searching for something that could work as a solution. Using Lisa’s laptop, Mickey does the same with UNIT’s resources. No matter how hard he searching, Ianto can’t find a solution short of blowing up Downing Street, which he’s pretty sure would qualify as an act of terrorism. 

He feels useless.

Ianto hates feeling useless.

Over the line, he hears Rose sigh, saying, “If only we could get out of here,” 

“There’s a way out,” the Doctor says, “There’s always been a way out.” Ianto stares at the phone in surprise. He can’t see a way out that doesn’t include the destruction of a national landmark and the possible deaths of dozens of innocent coppers. 

“Then why don’t you use it?” Rose asks.

“I can’t guarantee your safety.” The Doctor’s answer confirms Ianto’s fears. He’s seriously considering destroying the building. “I could save the world, but lose you.” 

“Do it.” 

Next to him, Mickey inhales sharply. Ianto’s heart sinks for him. Mickey cares about Rose so much. He deserves to have someone care about him just as much. For the first time, Ianto regrets not saying anything when the two of them started dating. Maybe he could have saved them the heartbreak that he knows will come.

Harriet interrupts the Doctor’s internal debate, “This isn’t your decision to make, Doctor. It’s mine. I’m the only elected representative in this room, chosen by the people for the people. And on behalf of the people, I command you. Do it.”

Not for the first time that day, Ianto’s impressed by the steel of Harriet Jones. “Ianto?” the Doctor says.

“I’ve got it.” He glances at Mickey. “Anything Torchwood has will completely obliterate the entire block. We need something weaker.”

“How about the Royal Navy?” Mickey asks, hacking into the Royal Navy’s system using the Doctor’s universal password. “There’s an HMS Taurean, Trafalgar Class submarine, ten miles off the coast of Plymouth.”

“That’ll work,” the Doctor says. 

Ianto turns away from Mickey as he selects a Sub Harpoon UGM A4A missile, backdooring his way into Torchwood Three for the second time that day. He really hopes their legendary computer analyst isn’t mad at him for the abuse of resources. The second time he broke into their systems, he noticed a new software to mask flying projectiles from radar. Why they created such a technology, Ianto has no idea, but he hopes they’re not planning an attack on Torchwood One.

“Mickey, as soon as you launch that missile, I’m going to make it disappear from the radar.” He meets his best friend’s eyes. An understanding passes between them. They’re going to blow up Downing Street with Rose inside it. Even if she’s protected by a steel box, this could be the end. “Rose?”

“Yeah?”

There are so many things he wants to say, but he can’t bring himself to. If he allows himself to think about the possibility of Rose dying, he feels that she actually will. Instead, he forces confidence into his voice, “I’ll see you on the other side.”

Mickey launches the missile. Ianto hijacks Torchwood Three’s software. He watches the missile disappear from all other radars. It gets closer and closer to London. Ianto whirls around in Lisa’s chair, looking out the window in time to watch it whiz past. Ianto holds his breath. There’s an explosion in the distance. 

The phone line goes dead. 

For a moment, Ianto sits completely still. He can’t believe that he played a part in blowing up the Slitheen who infested Downing Street. The realization hit him suddenly that he’d killed people. Hopefully, all the innocent humans made it out in time.

“Did we just…”

“Yeah.” Mickey has a shocked expression on his face that Ianto is sure he’s mirroring. 

Lisa bursts into the office. She glances back and forth between Ianto and Mickey, clearly worried. “What did you guys do?” she asks.

“We blew up 10 Downing Street.” Ianto can’t stop the frantic giggle that bubbles up from his chest. “We blew up 10 Downing Street and killed the Slitheen.” He glances at Mickey. “Looks like they were right about us estate kids.”

Mickey laughs at that.

* * *

Rose is leaving again. Ianto leans against the doorframe of their room watching Jackie try to convince Rose to stay a little bit longer. Ianto knows she won’t succeed. Rose has caught the travel bug. She has the ability to see all of time and space. Ianto wouldn’t stay home if he were Rose. 

“Ianto,” Jackie says, “tell her that she needs to stay.”

“I’ve never been able to tell her what to do.” Pushing off the doorframe, Ianto crosses the room. He pulls a worn backpack out from underneath his twin bed. It’s the same bag he ran away to London with. It’s packed with a few changes of clothes, spare toiletries, and cash in case he gets stranded. It feels appropriate that he take it with him again. “But I can keep an eye on her.” 

Rose arches a curious eyebrow. “You’re coming?”

“If your Doctor’s okay with it.” 

“He will be.” Rose grins. “I’ll make sure of it.” Shouldering her duffle bag, she races out of the flat. Ianto and Jackie follow behind at a slower pace. 

“I’m glad you’re going with her,” Jackie says. “I don’t like the idea of her being out there alone facing Lord knows what. I don’t like the idea of you doing that either, but I know you’re not foolish enough to race headfirst into danger. She tends to be smarter when you’re around.”

“That’s not true,” Ianto protests.

“She wouldn’t have passed her A-Levels without you.” She pulls Ianto down into a hug. “I love you, kiddo.”

Ianto doesn’t know how to respond to that. He’s never been good at expressing his feelings. He hugs Jackie back tightly, hoping she gets the message. They pull apart, approaching the TARDIS where the Doctor is chatting with Mickey and Rose. They arrive just in time to hear the Doctor say, “He's a liability, I'm not having him on board.” 

“We’d be dead without him and Ianto,” Rose protests. 

“I don’t travel with more than two people at a time,” the Doctor says, “and I was planning on asking Ianto.”

“Sorry, Mickey,” Rose says, pulling him into a kiss. From the expression on Mickey’s face, Ianto would guess that staying was his choice, not the Doctor’s.

“What do you say, Ianto Jones?” the Doctor asks. “You want to see all of time and space?”

“That might take more than a human lifetime,” Ianto says jokingly. 

“Is that a ‘yes?’”

“Yes.”

He says his goodbyes to Mickey, promising to keep in contact. He hugs Jackie again, stepping back for Jackie to say her goodbyes to Rose. He steps into the TARDIS. The Doctor is waiting at the controls. He frowns when he notices Ianto. “You never said it,” he sounds disappointed. 

“Said what?”

“ _ It _ ,” the Doctor says as if that clears up everything. “The thing that everyone says when they see this for the first time.” He waves his hand around the TARDIS. 

“I like the design?” Ianto guesses. He does. It’s very industrial looking. There’s organized chaos about it that Ianto finds intriguing and irritating at the same time. 

“You like the design?” the Doctor sounds offended. “You’re in a spaceship that’s bigger on the inside than it is on the outside, and the only thing you can think to say is that you  _ like the design _ .” 

Ianto shrugs. “I do.” 

“It’s bigger on the inside!”

“I know.”

The Doctor shakes his head. “Unbelievable.” The TARDIS door swings open and Rose steps inside. She drops her duffle on the floor. The Doctor grins at her. “You ready?”

“I’m ready.” Rose hops up beside the Doctor. She grabs Ianto’s hand. “You might want to hold on.” The Doctor flicks a few switches, the sound of the engines roaring fills Ianto’s ears, and the TARDIS takes off into time and space. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Doctor: SAY IT'S BIGGER ON THE INSIDE!
> 
> Ianto: I like the decor.
> 
> Thank you for reading the third installment of "Time Waits for No Man." I love each and every one of the comments you guys leave. Let me know what you think. 
> 
> Next Up: After Adam (post Dalek/The Long Game)


	4. After Adam

Ianto’s first week traveling with the Doctor is more chaotic than he could have ever imagined. 

There’s a dalek. 

There’s a space station in the year 200,000. 

And then there’s _Adam_. 

Honestly, Ianto thinks he’ll willingly chain himself up on freezing floor 500 watching an alien drool on them if it means that he never has to see Adam bloody Mitchell again. Sitting in the TARDIS control room, watching the Doctor fiddle impatiently with a random lever, Ianto gets the feeling that the Doctor is thinking the exact same thing as him. Adam Mitchell is the worst kind of man—unrepentantly selfish. 

He doesn’t know what Rose was thinking inviting Adam along in the first place. Actually, Ianto knows exactly what she was thinking. She was mad at the Doctor and Adam was cute, and, more importantly, interested in her. It was Rose’s petty way of getting back at the Doctor and it had almost gotten them killed. 

He didn’t protest when the Doctor decided to drop Adam back home. The Doctor’s words following Adam’s begging are still bouncing around in his mind. “I only take the best. I’ve got Rose and Ianto.” He spent the past week wondering if the Doctor just took him along because he fancies his sister, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.

_The best._

Ianto’s never been the best at anything. 

The Doctor’s cursing about stupid humans pulls Ianto out of his thoughts. “She makes rash decisions when she’s angry,” Ianto says. He’s known Rose for nine years––ten on his side. He’s been on the wrong side of her anger too many times to count. Usually, it was deserved. “She knows she made a mistake. It’ll take her a while to be able to admit it.”

“You don’t make rash decisions,” the Doctor says, dropping to sit down on the ground. They really need more seating in here. Ianto makes a mental note to search for seating that can be bolted down.

“I make calculated mistakes,” Ianto says. “Pretty sure those are worse. We might not be related by blood, but both of us can let our emotions get the better of us. I’m just better at bottling them up.”

“That’s unhealthy.”

“I know.” Bottling his emotions is one of those unhealthy habits he picked up during his childhood. Ianto is good at pretending that everything is okay. He hasn’t met a person yet who can see through his facade when he doesn’t want them to––not even Rose. “She’ll come around.”

“I’m sure she will.” the Doctor jumps up. Brushing away all semblance of emotions, he returns to pretending to drive the TARDIS. Ianto’s not the only member of Team TARDIS who bottles up their emotions. He smiles. _Team TARDIS,_ he likes the sound of that.

Leaving the Doctor to his repairs (he’s fairly certain the TARDIS occasionally breaks herself just to help the Doctor destress), Ianto goes in search of Rose. He finds her in her room, sprawled across the bed in her pajamas, watching reruns of _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_ on the flat-screen television she somehow convinced the TARDIS to put in her room. Ianto’s only slightly jealous. Her room has more comfortable furniture than his, but his walls are covered with bookshelves stuffed full of books on Ianto’s favorite periods of history. Whenever the Doctor sets course for a new planet or time, information about those places appear on the shelves. He can live with only his bed and a desk chair if that means he’s got his own private self-updating library. 

“You can watch anything in all of time and space and you choose _Buffy_ ?” It’s a sign of Rose’s mood that she’s watching reruns of her favorite American comfort show. Her love for Buffy started after the horrible breakup with Jimmy Stone. She’d gotten the tapes from the local video store. Whenever she’s sad, _Buffy_ somehow makes its way onto the television.

It had been a blessed year without the vampire slayer.

“If you don’t like it, leave,” Rose says. As an answer, Ianto sprawls across the bed beside Rose. He reaches for the bowl of popcorn in her lap. She slaps his hand away. “Make your own.”

“But Rosie...” He puts on his best pouting face. 

She sighs, “Fine,” and pushes the popcorn bowl his way. “But no complaining about _Buffy_.”

“I was just saying that you could watch literally anything, and you choose a program that you’ve seen half a dozen times.”

“If you were me, you’d be watching _James Bond_ films.”

“But _James Bond_ is actually good.”

Rose’s eyes narrow. “What did I say about complaining?”

“It’s not complaining, it’s criticism,” Ianto points out. He turns his attention to the television screen in time to see a bleach-blonde vampire swagger into frame. Ianto groans. “It’s a _Spike_ episode?”

“You know, for someone who hates the show, you have a lot of opinions about who Buffy should end up with,” Rose smirks at him. “You’re the captain of Team Angel.”

“I am not,” Ianto protests. “Buffy has horrible taste in men. Angel is the best of a bad situation.”

“Just admit that you think he’s hot.” Rose pokes Ianto’s side. “Tall, dark, and handsome. Just your type.” 

“It’s everyone’s type.” 

“So, you think he’s hot?”

Ianto raises his hands in surrender. “Fine. Okay. I think he’s hot.” Rose giggles. “And Spike rubs me the wrong way. So, yes, if I had to choose someone for Buffy to end up with it would be Angel, but it would never work out in the long-run. She’s mortal and he’s stuck forever as an emo twenty-two-year-old. And don’t take this as a sign that I secretly enjoy the show, because I don’t. I really don’t.”

“Sure, you don’t,” Rose says in a tone that suggests she doesn’t believe him in the slightest. 

“I don’t.”

“That’s what I said.”

They lapse into silence. Ianto turns his attention to the television screen, idly watching Buffy fight a group of vampires. He wonders if Rose sees herself in the blonde cheerleader. They’re nothing alike, but there are some similarities. Rose is on an adventure of her own now—a girl from earth traveling space with an immortal alien and her brother. It sounds like a bad television series. _If this were a television drama_ , Ianto thinks, _the Doctor would be more attractive_. A stunning Angel-like man, probably an American. Probably an American doing a really shoddy English accent. 

Ianto figures Rose would look the same in this television version of their lives, but she’d be posh. Some rich girl from Knightsbridge or West Brompton. She’d have a wardrobe filled with the latest fashion. Wouldn’t Rose love that?

They’d do a complete rewrite of Ianto’s personality. He’s too quiet—too average. On a television show, he’d be a genius. And he certainly wouldn’t be Welsh. Ianto doesn’t think television knows Wales exists. 

The Doctor would be a handsome American, Rose would be posh, Ianto would be a genius, and Mickey… 

Ianto stops as his best friend enters his thoughts. Mickey. _Dear God, Mickey._ He was sitting back at home, waiting for Rose to call, and she was picking up random blokes to make the Doctor mad. Mickey deserves better, Ianto thinks. 

“Rose,” Ianto whispers as the credits scroll across the screen. Rose hums in response. “Why’d you invite Adam along?” 

Rose shrugs. “I was mad at the Doctor, and he seemed nice.” Ianto arches an eyebrow. Adam had been many things, but nice was never one of them. “I thought he wanted to see everything––explore the universe with…” She trails off. 

_With me,_ Ianto finishes her sentence mentally. 

“I just thought that it would be nice to have someone else to travel with. Someone who-”

“Was attracted towards you,” Ianto finishes verbally. Sitting up, he pulls the DVD out of the player. “What about Mickey?” Rose doesn’t say anything. Grabbing the first movie on the stack beside the television, Ianto snaps it into the player. The opening credits of _Pride and Prejudice_ start to roll. He plops back down on Rose’s bed. “You seen this yet?”

“No. You?”

Ianto nods. “Went with Jackie a little while after you left.”

“Oh.” Rose silently watches the screen. Ianto doesn’t expect her to say anything about Mickey, but he had to ask. Mickey’s his best mate. He doesn’t want to see him hurt any more than he wants to see Rose hurt. Rose rolls over to face Ianto. “I’m not an idiot, y’know.”

“Never thought you were.”

“I just…” Rose sighs. “I know that the Doctor asked Mickey to join and he didn’t want to. I don’t understand why. I always thought Mickey was the one, but then I met the Doctor, and now… I want to travel the stars. I want this.” She gestures to the TARDIS around them. 

Ianto thinks that traveling the stars isn’t the only thing––or person––Rose wants. “And Mickey wants a normal life.”

“Yeah.” She sounds deflated. Resigned. “I should break it off.”

“You should,” Ianto agrees.

“He’s good. Mickey’s good. He was there for me after everything with Jimmy. He deserves to be able to find someone who can give him a normal life.” Rose rolls over to stare at the ceiling. She blinks back tears. “That’s not me.”

Ianto wraps an arm around Rose. She lays her head on his chest. “I know it’s not.” He offers her a small smile. “On the bright side, I’m pretty sure it’s not me either.”

Rose laughs. A tiny laugh, but a laugh nonetheless. “No plans on settling down with a nice Welsh girl and raising a few kids?”

“Nope.” 

Ianto’s fingers rub circles on Rose’s shoulders. “When did we become so odd?” she asks. 

“Probably around the same time you ran off with an alien and I joined the Men in Black.” 

“Probably.” Rose sits up, wiping the tears away from her eyes. She grabs her cellphone off the ledge beside her bed. “I need to call Mickey. Can you...”

“Of course.” Ianto climbs off of Rose’s bed and starts to leave. He pauses in the doorway, turning back to look at Rose. “You’re doing the right thing.”

“I know.” Rose sighs. “Do you think we’ll ever meet someone who gets it?”

“Rose, I’m sure he’s closer than you think,” Ianto says with a smile. 

He leaves her room, closing the door with a click behind him. He walks through the hallways, heading towards his room. He passes underneath the control room, where he can hear the Doctor doing repairs. _Wonder if he’ll be happy about Rose’s breakup,_ Ianto thinks. He should have the decency to pretend to be sympathetic, but Ianto doesn’t think he will. The Doctor will probably jump for joy when he hears the news.

Rose’s question echoes around in his mind as he enters his room. _Will he ever meet someone who gets it?_ Working at Torchwood, Ianto’s met a lot of people who know about the wonders of the universe, but none of them—not even Lisa—have a desire to simply see it all. That’s what Ianto likes about the Doctor. At the end of the day, he’s just a tourist particularly obsessed with Earth’s history. He doesn’t look at an alien artifact and automatically assume it’s a gun, even if it is a gun. He’s an explorer. Traveling with the Doctor, Ianto has the chance to explore and see worlds far beyond his imagination. 

Torchwood isn’t like that. Ianto likes his job, but he’s smart enough to realize how dangerous Torchwood is. _If it’s alien, it’s ours_ , that’s their motto. They want to know more about the universe, but only so that they can stay at the top of the food chain. They don’t stare up at space and wonder what life is out there. They build death rays with stolen alien technology. Torchwood does plenty of good, saving ordinary people from extraterrestrial life that means them harm, but they treat peaceful aliens the same way they treat hostile ones. 

Ianto is happy he’s just a junior researcher, even if that confines him to the basement for the rest of his life. There is no quitting Torchwood—not even for low-level staff like Ianto. 

Sitting down at his desk, Ianto idly wonders if Lisa would like to see the stars. _Would she see them as an adventure or as a threat?_ Ianto doesn’t know her well enough to say, but he’s leaning towards the former. She wasn’t against the Doctor. She helped them. _Maybe when I get back I’ll finally ask her on a date,_ Ianto thinks. A date would be easy compared to facing down a dalek. 

“If she’s not up to it, I’ve always got you.” Ianto pats the wall of his room. The TARDIS hums happily beneath his hand in response. Ianto can’t understand the spaceship’s garbled beeps like the Doctor can—or pretends to—but he likes to think that the TARDIS is fond of him. From the way his room is neatly organized and his socks never mysteriously disappear, Ianto would say his assessment is right. Rose is constantly losing socks. 

A book flies off of the nearest shelf, landing on the floor with a thud. Ianto rolls the chair over and picks it up. It’s a slim volume, wrapped in red binding that looks old but never opened. Ianto reads over the cover. _A Complete Account Regarding the Interplanetary Colonies of the United Federation of Earth, Volume XXVII: The Boeshane and Laplis Peninsulas._

“Is this where we’re headed next?” Ianto asks. His room rumbles in what Ianto thinks is laughter. He doesn’t know whether to interpret that as a yes or a no. Maybe both. One never knows with the TARDIS. “Well, I would say I’ve always wanted to learn about the Boeshane and Laplis Peninsulas, but I didn’t know they existed until two seconds ago. Thank you for the recommendation.” He always makes sure to thank the TARDIS. He doesn’t want his socks to go missing. 

The spine cracks as Ianto opens it, confirming his suspensions that it’s never been read. Leaning back in his chair, he begins to read. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Right, so I don't really like Dalek/The Long Game, so this happened instead. I was in the mood to write fluff. Your regularly scheduled programming will return next chapter.
> 
> Also, I felt the need to fix the Rose/Mickey/Doctor love triangle that happened in the original series because it sucked. So, they're broken up now. Poor Mickey. Don't worry, I'm sure he'll meet a nice woman who appreciates him for who he is... eventually. 
> 
> Surprise, surprise. Ianto doesn't like Spike. I wonder why that is? 😏
> 
> Thank you for reading this chapter. My heart jumps for joy each time I receive a notification about your reviews. They help keep me motivated. I have big plans for this fic. 
> 
> Next up: Part of the Family (Father's Day)


	5. Part of the Family

_A Complete Account Regarding the Interplanetary Colonies of the United Federation of Earth, Volume XXVII: The Boeshane and Laplis Peninsulas_ is, quite frankly, the most boring book that Ianto has ever read. The majority of the text seems to be focused on crop rotations and the implementation of a functioning governmental system, which could have been interesting had the writing style not been the driest, most monotonous thing Ianto’s had the misfortune of reading. And he’s read a lot of really dry books. 

Normally, Ianto would have given up by now. It’s been a week since the TARDIS dropped the thin red volume on his floor. After the first hour of reading, Ianto had placed the book to the side and gone to sleep with absolutely no intention of finishing it. It was only five days later—after a nasty run-in with the Judoon––that Ianto changed his mind about finishing the book. More accurately, the TARDIS changed his mind for him. 

Tired and freshly showered after being blasted with nefarious slime, all Ianto had wanted to do was lay in bed and read _The Princess Bride_ . When he reached for the book, he couldn’t pull it off of the shelf. He couldn’t pull any of the books off of the shelf, whether it was in his room or the library. When he’s tried to get Rose, and then the Doctor, to do it for him, the TARDIS had refused. Ianto had given up. He’d decided to watch a film with Rose only to discover that all of the televisions had vanished. And that was when the TARDIS sent the Doctor a message on his psychic paper: _the Rift-boy must read._

For some reason, the TARDIS wants Ianto to read the twenty-seventh volume of _A Complete Account Regarding the Interplanetary Colonies of the United Federation of Earth._ She also made it clear that all recreational spaces would be closed until Ianto finishes the book, much to the irritation of Rose and the Doctor. This is how Ianto finds himself sitting cradled in one of the columns of the control room, trying his best to finish reading a book he hates, and failing not to hear Rose’s second-hand stories of Pete Tyler. 

Ianto doesn’t like stories about Pete Tyler. 

Turning the page, Ianto lets out a sigh of relief when he sees the words stop, bringing the two-hundred-and-thirty-six-page chapter on crop rotations to a close. The next section (the final section, Ianto happily notes) is entitled _The Boeshane Raids._ It’s the shortest section of all. Ianto flips through the pages, noting that there are only twenty-three pages. Twenty-three pages and then Ianto can finally have free time. 

Rose’s voice drifts up to him from the ground below. “That’s what Mum always says. So, I was thinking, could we… could we go and see my dad when he’s still alive?”

Ianto frowns, glaring at the map of the Boeshane colony on the page. Jealousy rumbles in his gut and Ianto hates it because he would do anything to see his mam one last time. Rose never even knew her father. Who is he to begrudge her this?

“Where’s this come from all of a sudden?” the Doctor asks, leaning back in the only chair in the control room. 

“All right then,” Rose says, “if we can't, if it goes against the laws of times or something, then never mind, just leave it.” Ianto wonders if she’s purposefully baiting him or just being Rose. He wonders if the Doctor will rise to the bait. 

“No. I can do anything.” Ianto’s gaze drifts down to the floor below. From his vantage point, he can’t make out Rose clearly, but he can see the expression on the Doctor’s face. His eyes are filled with an emotion Ianto doesn’t hesitate to name. He’s smitten. Rose has him completely wrapped around her finger, and, if Ianto knows his sister, she’ll use that to her advantage, even if she’s not consciously aware she’s doing it. “I’m just more worried about you.”

“I want to see him.”

“Your wish is my command,” is the Doctor’s response. Ianto’s unsurprised. “Be careful what you wish for.” 

_What?_ Ianto watches the Doctor as he steers the TARDIS, controlling it with the same ease as a musician tuning a piano. It comes naturally to the Doctor. Ianto hasn’t tried to fly the TARDIS before, but he doubts that he would be able to. It doesn’t look similar to driving a car (not that Ianto knows how to drive a car). He notices the tension that settles into the Doctor’s shoulders, even as Rose doesn’t. He’s wary. _Why is the Doctor wary?_

Ianto doesn’t voice his question, returning to the monotonous eternity that is _The Boeshane Raids_ as the TARDIS arrives at its destination. As Rose approaches the door hesitantly, completely absorbed in her own world, the Doctor glances up at Ianto. “You coming?”

“Nah.” Ianto shakes his head. “I’m almost done with this riveting piece of literature. I’m thinking about going swimming when I’m done.”

“And that is why you never ask the TARDIS for recommendations.”

“I didn’t…” Ianto begins to protest, but the Doctor is already out the door. He didn’t ask the TARDIS for recommendations. He thought everyone got books recommended to them by the sentient spaceship, but maybe it’s just him. 

Finally alone, Ianto climbs down from his perch and meanders into the kitchen. He continues reading about the blood and carnage left behind by a mysterious race of aliens as he brews himself a cup of coffee. _This is why colonies are a bad idea_ , Ianto thinks. _The locals never like the newcomers._ Apparently, Earth learned nothing from the several hundred years they spent colonizing each other. Or perhaps they wrote history in a way that favored the colonizers, giving them credit for the globalization that eventually brought the world together. 

He pours a steaming cup of coffee. As he waits for it to cool down, he finishes his reading, frowning at the ending. Two-hundred-and-thirty-six-pages on crop rotations and the book stops just as things are starting to get interesting. Ianto’s almost disappointed, but the relief that he feels at finishing the book quickly overcomes the disappointment at its mediocre ending. He closes the book, placing it down on the countertop beside his yellow coffee mug. 

“I’m done,” Ianto says. The TARDIS doesn’t respond. “I don’t understand why you wanted me to read that. The Doctor said he makes a point of avoiding violent Earth colonies. I doubt I’ll ever go there, but if I do I’ll know more about their farming than they do. Thanks, for that.” The kitchen lights flicker in response. Ianto has no idea what that means. “The Rift-boy has read. I have to say, not your best recommendation. It’s probably at the bottom of the list.”

Obviously, he’s more annoyed than he originally thought, but Ianto can’t help it. He knows more about the farming practices of Earth colonies hundreds of years in the future than he does about actual Earth farming practices. As Ianto takes his first sip of coffee, the door opens, announcing the return of Rose and the Doctor. “That was fast,” Ianto calls, emerging from the kitchen into the control room.

The first thing he notices is the disappointed look on Rose’s face. She barely spares him a glance before turning to the Doctor. “My dad—he died so close to home, and nobody was there for him. I want to be that someone so he doesn’t die alone.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Ianto says before the Doctor can respond. 

Rose whirls on him. “I don’t remember asking you.” 

“You don’t want to watch your dad die, Rose.” Ianto leans against the TARDIS console. “Trust me.” He hadn’t been there when his mam finally passed on, but he’d watched her wither away for months before. Even now, eleven years later, those weren’t memories he ever thought about. Watching your loved ones die is the worst possible thing Ianto can think of, even if it’s entirely natural. “Remember your dad as you last saw him. Cherish that memory.”

“He shouldn’t have to be alone to die,” Rose argues. “I can be there for him— _we_ can be there for him.” 

“Don’t do this to yourself,” Ianto begs. 

“I wouldn’t expect you to understand,” Rose snaps. “Some of us have fathers who loved us.” 

Ianto jerks back, feeling the sting of Rose’s words as acutely as if she had physically slapped him. His father is a forbidden topic amongst them, and Rose knows that. Ianto has only told her half of what his childhood was like—the PG-13 half—but Rose is clever enough to piece together what’s unspoken. She knows what he did to Ianto. She knows the hurt he caused him. She knows… 

Rose juts out her chin defiantly, daring Ianto to say more. He doesn’t. There’s so much more she could throw in his face—so many unpleasant memories she could scrounge up without even realizing it. Ianto steps back. “Have fun watching your father die,” he says bitterly. He leaves Rose and the Doctor in the control room. 

He doesn’t go to the pool. Even after the TARDIS takes off and Rose and the Doctor leave, Ianto doesn’t do what he said he would. He sits on the stairs, listening to the hum on the TARDIS underneath his cheek. It’s quieter than usual, almost as if it’s sad alongside him. Ianto’s sure it’s just wishful thinking. 

“I really don’t like Pete Tyler,” Ianto tells the TARDIS. He wonders why he’s doing this. Why is he confessing his woes to a machine that doesn’t even talk to him—to a machine that forced him to read the worst book in the entire galaxy?

He assumes it’s because he knows that the TARDIS will listen. Rose might listen, but Ianto would never tell her about this. The Doctor probably would too. He’d look at Ianto with those sad piercing eyes that have seen universes crumble and civilizations fall, and he’d claim to understand. The TARDIS won’t do that. The TARDIS would only listen and offer her comforting vibrations in response. 

Right now, Ianto needs someone to listen. “My own father was a pathetic excuse for a man. He never really liked me. I was too soft. Not enough of a man for him. Rhiannon claims it didn’t use to be bad, but I don’t remember that. I was too young. By the time I could form lasting memories, Mam had gotten her first round of cancer and he’d taken up drinking heavily. I was five.”

It isn’t until a splash lands on his finger that Ianto realizes that he’s crying. The bottle has burst. All those feelings that he tries so hard to push down come rushing to the surface in a flood of emotions. Hurt. Regret. Pain. Anger. 

“She had cancer two more times after that one. Five. Nine. Twelve. I used to spend the weekends at my Nan’s, but she died when I was eleven. After that, it was just me and him most of the time. Mam practically lived in the hospital. After she died, I didn’t see a reason to stick around, I left.” Ianto places his hand against the warm wall. “You probably know all this. You’ve got the Time Vortex inside of you.” He sighs, wiping away the tear tracks on his cheeks. “Mind if I continue though? This is very therapeutic for me.”

The area directly beneath his hand heats up. Ianto takes it as an affirmative. “All Rose has is Jackie—all either of us really has is Jackie. She’s the one who stuck around—who took in a stray Welsh kid without asking. She’s an amazing woman, but she’s still human. She screws up. A lot. Rose doesn’t like it when she dates around, jumping from boyfriend to boyfriend. Jackie disappoints her. 

“And so Rose has created this fantasy in her mind—this father that she never met—that died tragically when she was young. All she has to go on are Jackie’s tipsy stories. They’re beautiful stories, but that’s all that they are. Sometimes—not very often, but sometimes—Rose pretends that her dad lived. She imagines these beautiful scenarios with her complete little family. She’s been doing it since she was a kid. And I hate those scenarios. I hate those scenarios because I’m not in them.”

Ianto leans back on the stairs, his gaze drifting over the glowing ceiling above. He whispers, “If Pete hadn’t died, I don’t think the Tylers would have ever taken me in. I would’ve gone back to Cardiff. I would’ve gone back to _him_.” 

That’s what’s at the heart of Ianto’s resentment—the uncertainty of what his life would have been like had the Tylers already been complete. He doesn’t fool himself into thinking that he somehow filled a hole that Pete left, but he can’t help but imagine that the man wouldn’t have been as accepting of a homeless run-away as Jackie was. He wouldn’t have had Jackie or Rose. He never would have met Mickey. Ianto knows himself well enough to know that, eventually, he would have gone to Rhiannon for help, and she would have sent him home, willfully ignorant to how bad things were.

Even when Rose says hurtful things to him as she did earlier, Ianto wouldn’t trade the years he spent with the Tylers for the world. They’re his family now. Ianto doesn’t want to begrudge Rose the chance to be with her father, but why does she have to? Why can’t she be happy with things the way they are?

Ianto stands up, wipings away the remainder of evidence that he has been crying. “Thanks for listening,” he whispers. The TARDIS hums in response. With a sigh, Ianto leaves the TARDIS.

He steps out in the middle of a normal-looking street. It’s familiar. Ianto’s sure he’s been there before—in a different time—in a different life. His gaze drifts down the road, searching for a street sigh. He notices the Doctor storming towards him, his face filled with anger. Ianto’s heart sinks. _What happened?_

He starts towards the Doctor, stepping off the street. The Doctor finally notices him. His eyes widening as he takes in Ianto. He breaks into a run. “Ianto! Behind you!”

Ianto turns around. He barely has time to notice a dark figure hovering over him before it pounces. Claws wrap around his shoulders. The wind is forcefully pushed out of Ianto’s lungs. Then—

  
  
  
  
  


_Nothing_.

  
  
  
  
  
  


One moment, Ianto’s standing on the curbside, watching the Doctor race towards him, and the next he’s laying on the ground. Time has passed. The sun’s dipped down in the sky. He doesn’t remember it passing. The memory of a black beast descending on him flashes to the forefront of his mind. Ianto jumps up, glancing around. There are no monsters waiting. Nothing but a car crash on the corner and a broken vase in the middle of the road.

Rose crouches next to a man, holding his hand. The Doctor stands on the opposite side of the car, his face stony. Brushing the dirt off of his shirt, Ianto approaches the Doctor. “What happened?” he asks quietly, unable to look at Rose and Pete. He can’t watch the man die—not when he’s resented him for so long. It feels wrong. 

“A paradox,” is all the Doctor says. 

Ianto opens his mouth to ask more but stops himself. The Doctor obviously isn’t in the mood to talk, and Rose is crying as she holds her father’s hand. Ianto’s not in much of a mood to talk himself, despite the questions bouncing around his head. He’ll ask them later. He stands silently beside the Doctor as the ambulance arrives and Rose steps away. She takes the Doctor’s hand in her left, Ianto’s hand in her right. Together, they walk back to the TARDIS.

The moment that they’re safely inside, Rose drops the Doctor’s hand, wrapping her arms tightly around Ianto. The Doctor vanishes into the depths of the TARDIS. “I’m so sorry,” Rose’s words are muffled by Ianto’s shirt. “I should never have said those things about your father. I just… I thought I could change things. I didn’t realize…” 

Rose pulls back a fraction, detaching herself from Ianto’s chest so that she can see his face. Ianto doesn’t know what she reads in his face. Unlike Rose, he doesn’t often wear his emotions on his face. He lets a fraction of what he’s feeling—a fraction of the hurt, fear, and anger that has been flooding his chest—leak into his expression. Rose’s eyes soften, glittering with unshed tears. She pulls Ianto close to her and whispers, “I didn’t know I would lose you.” 

A tiny voice in the back of Ianto’s mind whispers that he should tell Rose his fears about Pete, but he pushes it aside. That chapter is finished. Pete Tyler is never going to come into their lives again. It’s not going to be an issue. Ianto can work out his resentment towards a dead man on his own. Instead, his arms tighten around Rose as the realization of what happened sinks in. He ceased to exist. He had almost lost everything. 

Rose separates from Ianto. “You know you’re my brother, right?” she asks. “It doesn’t matter that you’re not related by blood. It never has.”

“I know,” Ianto whispers. Rose smiles at him.

* * *

Rose holes herself in her room for the rest of the day. Ianto knows that she needs time to mourn the possibilities. Ever since joining the Doctor, she’d held a little sliver of hope that she could save Pete. Now, she knows that she can’t. Just how Ianto knows he can’t save his mother, no matter how much he wishes he could. The paradoxes that could create would be life-changing and Ianto doesn’t want to lose the Tylers and Mickey. 

He likes his life. 

Ianto’s standing at the kitchen counter, preparing the ingredients for chicken curry for dinner, when the Doctor steps inside. He looks tired. Worn. He sits down at the small kitchen table and watches Ianto. He doesn’t break the silence for several minutes. “Do you have somewhere you want to go?” 

“No.” Ianto pulls out a pan from the cupboards. Lighting the stove, he sets it down and begins tossing the diced onion. 

“Really?” the Doctor obviously doesn’t believe him. Ianto doesn’t blame him. He wouldn’t believe him either after everything that happened with Rose and Pete. “Not even to see your mother?”

Ianto sautés the onion for a minute, thinking of what to say. “I thought about it—I won’t deny that—but she wouldn’t have wanted me to do that. I’ve mourned with her once. I don’t need to do it again. Besides, I’ve got too much to lose.” Mickey, Jackie, Rose, and even Lisa and the Doctor. He has too much to lose. 

The Doctor hums. “You’re a unique man, Ianto Jones.”

“Thanks.” Ianto thinks it’s a compliment, although he can’t be sure with the Doctor. The Time Lord is a lot like his spaceship in that way. They’re both mysterious—so ancient and curious. 

“So, anywhere in time and space—where do you want to go next?” 

Ianto shrugs. “I don’t care.” He frowns as he remembers some of the futuristic catalogs he’s flipped through. “Actually, could we go vintage next? The future has a surprising lack of fashion-sense.”

The Doctor’s eyes are alight with humor. “You’re choosing where you want to go based on clothing?”

Heat rises to Ianto’s cheeks. Fashion has always been one of his weaknesses. Ianto loves a good suit. He’s mourned to Rose on more than one occasion that the days when people dressed up to go outside were over. Ianto likes clothes. He likes to look good. “Yep.” He nods. “I am.”

“So, that’s a negative on the… what was that place you read about?”

“The Bo-”

“The Boeshane Peninsula!” The Doctor snaps his fingers. “You don’t want to go there?” 

Ianto blanches at the thought of visiting the place outlined in the dry book. “Never.”

“You sure?”

“Nothing good comes from the Boeshane Peninsula,” Ianto says as he mixes in spices with the caramelized onions. “I never want to go there.”

“That’s why you don’t ask the TARDIS for reading recommendations. She has horrible taste in travel destinations.” The TARDIS protests, angry beeping coming into the kitchen from the control room. 

“Are you trying to make her angry?” Ianto asks.

The Doctor shrugs as he stands up, walking closer to Ianto. Reaching into the inner pocket of his jacket, he pulls out a silver key and offers it to Ianto. “Thought it was time you had one of your own.” 

Ianto takes the key, cradling it reverently in the palm of his hand. “Thank you.”

“It’s nothing.” The Doctor brushes his thanks off, but Ianto knows that it’s not nothing. The Doctor is putting his trust in him. It’s a big leap of faith after everything that happened over the past twenty-four hours. Before Ianto can say anything, the Doctor leaves the kitchen with a, “Call me when the curry’s done.”

“I will,” Ianto promises. 

When Ianto finishes the curry, the Doctor and Rose show up in the kitchen, drawn by the scent. They eat at the small table, laughing over one of the Doctor's crazier stories, forgetting the hurt and heartbreak of the day. As Ianto watches Rose disbelievingly question the Doctor, peace settles over him. Everything will be okay. Ianto smiles as Rose shakes her head vigorously, clearly not believing the impossible man's impossible stories. _Everything will be okay,_ Ianto thinks. A weight lifts from his chest. 

Everything will be okay. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading this part of Time Waits for No Man. As you, and Ianto, know, nothing good comes from the Boeshane Peninsula. Things are about to get interesting. Let me know what you think.
> 
> Next Up: The Empty Child


	6. The Empty Child

Blaring alarms jolt Ianto out of his dreams. Rubbing his hands over his face, Ianto groans as his eyes adjust to the dim room. It's supposed to be nighttime––or as close to it as the TARDIS can get with her simulated days and nights. Nighttime means sleep, but Ianto supposes it's too much to expect the Doctor to sleep like a mere mortal. He is _the Doctor_ , after all.

Grabbing a shirt from the top of his hamper, Ianto trudges out of his room. The chill of the metal grating seeps through Ianto's bare feet as he steps into the control room, but he can't bring himself to care. He's a nightmare in the mornings without his coffee, and it's not even morning yet.

"Is there a reason you've set off all the alarms?" Ianto yawns, joining Rose and the Doctor at the console. Both are dressed. Rose wears a shirt with a Union Jack on it and jeans. Ianto frowns. Did she sleep in those or was she already awake?

"It's mauve," the Doctor answers, peering at the screen, watching a piece of space-junk hurtle towards the earth.

Ianto glances at Rose and mouths, ' _Mauve?'_ "Apparently it's the rest of the universe's version of a red alert," she answers.

"What's wrong with red?" Ianto asks, a little offended on behalf of the color. "I like red."

"Red's great," the Doctor answers, "Red's camp. Everyone loves red."

"The Doctor's hacked into the flight computer on the other ship," Rose explains, "Where it goes, we go."

The Doctor smacks the side of the display screen. "No! No, no, no! It's jumping time tracks. Getting away from us."

"What exactly is that thing?" Ianto asks.

"No idea."

"Then why are we chasing it?" Ianto wants to sleep, but if the universe is in danger, he's going to do his best to help the Doctor save it. He prays that it's harmless. Wouldn't it be nice if, just once, it was harmless?

"It's mauve and dangerous," the Doctor answers, "and about thirty seconds from the center of London."

Ianto sighs. There go any hopes he had of getting more sleep. _It's mauve and dangerous_. Everything's dangerous with the Doctor. "Alright, Rosie, c'mon."

"Where are you going?" the Doctor asks.

"It's jumping time tracks," Ianto says, "The likelihood of ending up in a time when Rose's Union Jack top is the height of fashion are slim to none."

"I like this shirt," Rose says, offended.

Ianto would agree, but, well, he's Welsh and complementing something so unapologetically British goes against every bone in his body. "And I don't want you to get burned as a witch," Ianto says. He doesn't think that it's very likely, but it's still a possibility.

"But we just landed," the Doctor protests. "We're five days late already."

"We're five days late, we can wait another half an hour," Ianto reasons. "I am not going out into the streets of London in my pajamas." With that, Ianto grabs Rose's arm and drags her out of the console room. The Doctor watches them leave with a frown.

The TARDIS's wardrobe is one of the most beautiful things that Ianto's ever seen. Hundred of years worth of historically-accurate clothing compiled in a giant, multi-level closet. Ianto could spend days in it. History and clothes, two of his favorite things. Knowing that they're in a hurry, the TARDIS has already picked out two outfits for them, neatly folded on a table in the middle of the room, with matching shoes beside them.

Ianto picks up the Royal Army battledress. A smile crosses his face as he studies the green wool. "Looks like it's the forties."

Rose shakes her head. "You'd think it was Christmas with how you're acting."

Ianto shrugs. "I'm not saying the blitz wasn't horrible––it was––but the _outfits_. The music. The dancing." A sigh escapes his lips. "It's the end of the world for them, but they're still fighting to hold on."

Rose chuckles. She holds up the skirt and blouse that the TARDIS provided her with. There's a thick woolen coat hanging on the rack. "Normally, I wouldn't be caught dead in this," she says, "but I think I'll make an exception."

Twenty-four minutes later, they're dressed in period-appropriate clothing. Rose has tied her hair back in a half-up-half-down hairstyle and Ianto has slicked his own back with a generous amount of product. In his opinion, they look dapper as they stroll out of the wardrobe, intent on meeting the Doctor in the control room. He's gone.

"Looks like the Doctor couldn't wait," Ianto says.

Rose grins. "Let's hope he hasn't gotten into too much trouble."

"This is the _Doctor_ we're talking about," Ianto says, opening the door. "Trouble's all he knows."

"I've noticed."

They step into a dark alleyway. Buildings rise up on three sides around them, fire-escapes climbing the walls. Lights search the sky, keeping an eye out for German planes. Sirens blare, warning everyone to stay inside. Ianto glances at Rose, waiting for her to choose a direction. She's got a good intuition when it comes to the Doctor, figuring out where he's vanished to is second nature to her. Ianto's significantly worse at trying to read the ancient alien.

" _Mummy?_ " a child's voice echoes through the alley. For a moment, Ianto thinks he's mishearing things, but the voice comes again, "Mummy? Mummy?"

Rose's eyes snap to the rooftop above them. Her mouth drops in horror. "There's a kid up there." Ianto follows her gaze. There is, indeed, a child on that roof. A small child stands on the edge, watching the lights in the sky through his gas mask. Rose jumps into action, climbing the nearest fire escape in her heels, shouting reassurances to the kid. Ianto's only a second behind her.

They make it onto the roof without trouble. The kid's haunting calls for his mummy continue as Rose picks her way across to him. "Okay. Hang on," she tells the kid. "Don't move." A piece of rope appears beside her. As Rose reaches for it, Ianto glances up. At the end of the rope is a huge balloon, distracting german planes from the surrounding buildings.

"Rose, don't!" Ianto scrambles, pulling Rose back at the last moment as the broom come undone, and begins floating into the air.

Rose releases a sigh of relief. "That was close."

Something tightens around Ianto's ankle. Dread fills his stomach as he looks down. He barely has time to process that the rope has somehow tied itself around his leg before he's lifted into the air.

"Ianto!" Rose lunges for him, trying to stop him from falling off the building. She fails. "I'll get the Doctor."

The balloon rises and Ianto soars into the air. Higher. Higher. Higher. Ianto feels wash-up in the back of his throat as he hangs over war-torn London. He's never been scared of heights before, but, then again, he's never been precariously tied to a balloon and dangled over London before. There's a first time for everything.

He curses as his phone slips out of his pocket, plummeting to the streets below. There go any chances of being able to call Rose or the Doctor for help. Ianto is on his own.

Lights search the air, combing the sky for planes. Ianto glances up, trying to discern how to get himself down, when a siren sounds through the air. The sounds of planes soaring through the sky surrounds him. German planes, Ianto realizes. German planes are attacking London, and he's in the middle of the sky wearing an army uniform.

"Well, fuck."

* * *

 _It's my lucky day,_ Jack thinks as he watches the young officer swing from the barrage balloon. He's flushed from irritation, cursing up a storm in the air. It makes Jack wonder what he'd been like on the ground, preferably in Jack's bed. He grins at the thought as he watches the man flail in the air. "Excellent bottom."

"I say, old man. There's a time and a place." Jack didn't hear Algy sneak up on him, but he doesn't let it disturb him.

The man is going to fall sooner or later. The rope is going to snap, and the handsome man is going to plummet to his death, but not if Jack has anything to say about it. He idly wonders if by saving the man, he'll be changing the course of the war, but he quickly dismisses the idea as a small piece of plastic slips from the man's pocket. A phone or tracking device of some sort. He's not from around here.

Elation swells in Jack's chest at the thought that the man in the sky is the time agents he'd lured in. Wouldn't that be perfect?

"Look, you really should be off."

"Sorry, old man." Jack pats Algy on the shoulder as he passes by him. "I've got to meet a man. But you've got an excellent bottom too."

He knows Algy is blushing and that brings a smirk to his face. The repression of the twentieth century never ceases to amaze him. He can only hope that the time agent's a little more open-minded than Algy. The things he wants to do to that man… but first, he has to save him. Jack's smirk widens to a grin. He makes a rather dashing knight in shining armor. He always has.

* * *

Ianto is halfway through constructing a plan to save himself, get his phone back, locate Rose and the Doctor, and return to the TARDIS for a bath with scented oils, when the rope twists in the wind. Left and right, swaying in the wind. Suddenly, it loosens. Ianto feels the rope burn against his ankle as he plummets. The wind rushes in his face, making his eyes water. This is it, Ianto realizes. He's going to fall to his death in the middle of the blitz. What an utterly unheroic was to die.

Ianto's entire body suddenly jerks to a stop. He hovers in mid-air, surrounded by a beam of blue light. A ray of some sort, his brain supplies. A suspension ray, maybe. Or an anti gravity ray.

"Okay, okay. I've got you," a voice shouts over the wind. An American voice. Ianto frowns. An American and a space ray. That can't be good.

"Who exactly are you?" Ianto demands, keeping as level a head as possible given the circumstances.

The American doesn't answer. "I'm programming your descent pattern. Keep as still as you can, and keep your hands and feet inside the light field."

Ianto sighs, keeping his hands and feet inside the light field as instructed. "If you're planning on killing me, could you please release the field and let me fall to my death?"

"Why would I do that?" Ianto swallows his grin at finally getting a straight answer.

"You're American." Ianto does not have a good track record with Americans. The last one he'd interacted with was Adam, and that had turned out horribly.

"And you're Welsh."

"Good ear," Ianto compliments the man despite himself.

"I've got an appreciation for those beautiful vowels."The ray starts to pull Ianto downwards, closer and closer to the ground. Ianto can't make out anything past the light glaring in his face. "Don't worry. I have no plans to kill you." It sounds like a promise of something far more devious. Ianto wonders if the American's flirting with him, but quickly dismisses it. What kind of person flirted in a near-death situation? _Rose_ , his mind supplies helpfully, quickly followed by _the Doctor_ , and _you_. Really, everyone in the TARDIS could be flirty when they felt like it.

Ianto closes his eyes as he feels himself getting pulled down further and further. A tingling sensation overwhelms his body, setting his nerves on edge. Strong arms wrap around Ianto. He wants to rest his head against the solid chest he knows is attached to those arms and fall asleep after the experience he's just had, but he knows this isn't the time or the place.

"Don't worry. I've got you. That tractor beam can scramble your head just a little." It's the American who's holding him, Ianto realizes. He blinks his eyes open to find a handsome man in a jumpsuit staring down at him––the American.

_Damn._

Now he really wishes he could lie here a little longer. He glances around, looking anywhere but the handsome American currently cradling him in his arms. "Right. Spaceship. Should've figured." He turns his attention to the man. "If you could let me down now…" He thinks he wouldn't mind being held by this man for the rest of his days, but he's in a foreign spaceship with a foreign man. He'd rather be on his own two feet.

The man complies, setting him down on the ground. Ianto reaches his hand out, steadying himself on the bunk beside himself. He blinks the spots from his eyes. He will not pass out in front of the handsome American. He will not pass out in front of the handsome American. He will not––

Ianto's knees buckle beneath him as black clouds his vision. Darkness claims him.

After what feels like only a few moments, Ianto opens his eyes for a second time. The ship is dark. Ianto's certain it is a ship. Sitting up, he studies his surroundings, trying to figure out if it's a ship he recognizes. It looks passingly familiar. He may not have seen this ship before, but he's definitely seen the panel sitting across from him––not that exact one, but there was something similar in the Torchwood One archives. No one knew what it was for. No one, except now Ianto.

"Better now?" the American asks, turning around in his chair. His long coat is thrown haphazardly over the side. It's a nice coat, Ianto notes, and he's momentarily envious of the man's outfit.

"Yep." Ianto slides off of the bunk. "You got lights in here?" A second later, the lights flick on, illuminating the cramped ship. There isn't much room for Ianto to move around, so he approaches the American. "You didn't happen to pick up my cell, did you?"

"Unfortunately not."

The man doesn't blink at Ianto's reference to futuristic technology. He's not a local boy, then. Sizing the man up, Ianto notices how his gaze lingers on his form. There's an obvious attraction in those eyes, and Ianto can use that to his advantage. He puts on his most flirtatious smile (not that it's hard––this man seems to bring it out of him) and leans against the wall, only a few feet away from his chair. "And who are you supposed to be, then?"

The American passes him an ID card, saying, "Captain Jack Harkness, One Three Three Squadron, Royal Air Force. American volunteer."

"Is that how you're explaining that accent, then? _American volunteer_." Ianto's gaze flicks over the paper. It doesn't display the credentials that Jack claims it will. _Jack Harkness, single, works out regularly, the best lay of your life._ He arches an eyebrow. "Really?"

Jack grins like a kid in a candy store. "Like what you see?"

Ianto can't stop the smile that comes to his face. A little bit of harmless flirting is fun. If he had the time and weren't so worried about Rose, he may even take 'Jack' up on his offer. "Psychic paper's a tricky thing," he agrees, handing the paper over to Jack. He lets his thoughts wander, not focusing too much on any specific one.

"Your name is Ianto Jones, and you like my coat." Jack grins. "I have a few ideas of what we could do with it."

"Maybe later," Ianto brushes off Jack's suggestion. "Where'd you get the spaceship?"

"Like it?"

"Not much space, is there?" Ianto leans over Jack, looking out the window. A bomb drops to the ground below them. _Below them_. They're parked in mid-air.

"You Time Agents, always so picky." Jack shakes his head.

Ianto has only a vague idea of what a Time Agent is––a mention of some guy named Javic Thane from that horrible book––but he isn't about to correct any assumptions Jack's drawn. He steps back. He can't stop the hiss that escapes his lips as the trouser leg brushes against the rope burn. That can't be good. Deciding that Jack's not an immediate threat, Ianto crouches down and rolls up his left leg. A red mark mars his pale skin.

"That doesn't look good," Jack comments.

"You think?" Ianto holds back a wince at his snarky reply. He doesn't want to be on Jack's bad side. The man has a spaceship––there's no telling what he can do.

Jack kneels down beside Ianto. "Let me." He runs his fingers over Ianto's ankle, sending a shiver up his spine. Meeting Ianto's eyes, he snaps his fingers. Lights swirl around Ianto's leg. He can feel his skin growing back. It's a warm, tingling feeling. Not unpleasant. "Nanogenes," Jack explains, "Sub-atomic robots. The air in here's full of them. They just repaired three layers of your skin." The glow subsides and the nanogenes vanish.

Following Jack's motions, Ianto snaps his fingers. The golden robots swarm around his fingertips. They're fascinating, even if he can't begin to comprehend how they work. Clarke's law flits across his mind. _Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic._ He wonders if Arthur C. Clarke was a time traveler. He's right in this case. It may as well be magic.

He can feel Jack's eyes on him, watching his every move. Letting the nanogenes dance away, Ianto glances up to meet Jack's twinkling blue gaze. He smiles charmingly. There's depth there, secrets hidden that he wants to weasel out of Jack. Or, maybe, it's all just a farce. Ianto wonders how many other men have fallen for that smile. "Shall we get down to business?"

"Business?" Ianto feels dread begin to grow in his chest. Jack being his flirty American savior is harmless. _Business_ sounds potentially dangerous.

Grabbing a set of glasses off of a small table, he smiles. It's still flirty, but there's an edge to it. Ianto wants to know what the man is thinking. What is he doing here, in the middle of the Blitz of all places? "Shall we have a drink on the balcony?" Jack cracks open a hatch, leading to the top of the spaceship. He vanishes, leaving Ianto to scramble out after him.

The first thing that he notices when he steps out is that they're floating in the air. The spaceship is invisible beneath his boots. "Some sort of cloaking technology," Ianto deduces. He takes in the giant clocktower behind them.

"Brains and beauty." Jack pops open the bottle of champagne and pours it into the glasses. "Is there anything you don't have?"

"I thought you wanted to talk business," Ianto comments, accepting the glass from Jack.

"Who says you can't mix business with pleasure?"

"Most reasonable people," Ianto says, "but I get the feeling you mix the two quite frequently."

"I could show you." Judging from the leer on the man's face, Ianto is certain that Jack is actually propositioning him to have sex on top of his invisible spaceship tied to Big Ben. Surprising himself, Ianto considers it for a moment. There's chemistry there, certainly, but Ianto gets the feeling that Jack has chemistry with everyone.

Besides, Ianto isn't one for a casual one-night-stand. He can count the number of sexual partners he's had on one hand. He makes his mind up. He isn't going to have sex with Jack, but he's almost certain that if he doesn't kiss the man now, he'll miss the opportunity entirely.

Lunging forward, he grabs Jack by the lapels of his jumpsuit, pulling Jack into a kiss. Champagne glasses fall over the side, shattering amongst the rubble below as Jack wraps his arms around Ianto's waist, bringing him closer. Hips flush against hips. Ianto holds onto Jack's biceps as the warm feeling of their lips colliding overtakes his senses.

He's kissed people before––men and women alike––but he's never kissed anyone like Jack. He's never been kissed by anyone like Jack. It feels like standing in the doors of the TARDIS, staring out at the cosmos beyond––vast, huge, full of unknown depth. He kisses with experience and passion. They're not in love, yet Ianto knows that if he stops thinking, he'll be able to convince himself otherwise.

Jack kisses like he's in love.

Ianto pulls back before he can lose himself completely in the other man. Panting, he tries to regain his breath. Jack smiles down at him, a small smile that is like nothing else he's worn all night. It's genuine––the first genuine smile he's seen from Jack. Ianto releases Jack's biceps. "That was-"

"I know," Jack's voice is thick with desire. As he steps forward, trying to pull Ianto into his arms again, but Ianto steps back. His hands feel strangely empty without Jack's arms beneath them, but he ignores it, just as he ignores Jack's pouting.

Ianto doesn't regret kissing Jack. Not at all. He clears his throat, trying to focus on something other than the sound of blood rushing through his body. "So, business?"

"Right." Jack's eyes clear, his focus returning with a single-minded determination. "It's 1941, the height of the London Blitz, the height of the German bombing campaign, and something else has fallen on London. A fully equipped Chula warship. The last one in existence, armed to the teeth."

A Chula warship. The Doctor's warning comes to mind. A Chula warship certainly qualified as dangerous. "You sent out the mauve alert," Ianto figures out.

"I found the ship," Jack says, "and I'm the only one who knows where it is, because I parked it."

"You parked the highly dangerous Chula warship that's armed to the teeth?" Ianto doesn't find it hard to believe, but he can't figure out why Jack would do it. He prides himself on his ability to read people, but Jack is a puzzle. Secrets layered one on top of another.

"I did. If the Agency can name the right price, I can get it for you. But in two hours, a German bomb is going to fall on it and destroy it forever. That's your deadline. That's the deal. Now, shall we discuss payment?"

The Time Agency, again. Ianto wonders why Jack's so focused on them. He doesn't know anything about the group, but he does know that there are multiple time-traveling groups throughout history. Ianto could be a member of any one of them. Ianto's slightly disappointed that Jack's nothing more than a time-traveling criminal, but it isn't as bad as what he imagined. He's not trying to take over the world. Ianto is still glad that he kissed him _before_ they started talking business.

"Did you used to be a Time Agent?" Ianto asks. "Is that why you're so hyperfocused on the Agency?"

"I'm not hyperfocused."

"Yes, you are," Ianto says.

Jack's face turns serious. "Two hours, the bomb falls. There'll be nothing left but dust and a crater."

"What makes you think I want a Chula warship?" Ianto would love a Chula warship, if only for the opportunity to study it. The Doctor, on the other hand, would be firmly against it. He doesn't like anything that has to do with war.

"I get the feeling that you're not the sort of man who stands aside and lets rare historical artifacts be demolished, Ianto Jones." Ianto ignores how good his name sounds on Jack's tongue. _Damn it if he isn't right_. Ianto's weakness is history, even if it's the history of a place he's never heard of before.

"Unfortunately, my partners handle the financial side of things."

"Partners?" Jack sounds intrigued. "Should I be jealous?"

Ianto snorts. He doesn't think Jack's the type of man who gets jealous. "Hardly." He says 'partners,' because it sounds better than my sister and her alien-pseudo-boyfriend. "If I had my phone, I could get in contact with them, but-"

"I'll do a scan for alien tech. That should tell us where they are." Jack presses a button on his wrist strap. Ianto peers over his shoulder as he scans for alien tech. Two blips appear on the screen.

"That'll be our ship." Ianto's arm brushes against Jack's as he points towards the blip in the back alley. He tries to ignore the tingles that race down his spine at the contact. "The other one's the Doctor. Rose is probably with him."

"They're at the hospital," Jack says.

The hospital. That can't be good. That means there's something at work other than Jack and his parked Chula warship. Ianto represses a sigh, plastering on an agreeable smile. "Lead the way."

* * *

Jack's version of leading-the-way turns out to be transporting them to the hospital using his wrist strap, after he slips on his coat, to Ianto's pleasure. It really is a nice coat.

The hospital, on the other hand, is creepy. It stirs up uncomfortable memories of visiting his mother, watching her wither away before his eyes, unable to do anything to stop it. Ianto hates the feeling. Pushing aside his discomfort, he follows Jack down the hallway. "Hello?" the other man shouts over and over again.

The door at the end of the hallway bursts open. "Ianto!" Ianto barely has time to open his arms before Rose tackles him, knocking the wind from his lungs. "I was so scared. Why didn't you pick up your cell phone? I thought that something horrible had happened to you." She pulls apart from Ianto, finally noticing Jack. "Who's your friend?"

Jack smiled flirtingly. Just as Ianto thought––it's a default setting for him. "Captain Jack Harkness. You must be… Rose? Ianto's told me all about you."

He's barely told Jack anything about Rose, just mentioned her in passing. He wonders what game the other man is playing. "He knows that the three of us are Time Agents."

" _Time Agents?_ " Having not done the same reading as Ianto, he knows Rose doesn't have the slightest clue what a Time Agent is. The Doctor emerges from behind Rose. He looks angry, Ianto notes. That can't be good.

"Nice to see you're in one piece," the Doctor said.

"Thank you for the concern," Ianto snarks. "Wouldn't want to worry you by nearly falling to my death. I would've died if it weren't for Jack."

"You saved Ianto?" Rose asks breathlessly. She's in awe, Ianto realizes. An unpleasant feeling of jealousy stirs in his gut. He frowns at the feeling as Rose bats her eyelashes at Jack.

"Jack here's got a Chula warship he wants to sell to us," Ianto says. "The mauve alert." He glances around the hospital. "What's going on?"

"It'll be easier if we just show you."

The room that the Doctor leads them to is straight out of a horror movie. Ianto inspects the people, being careful not to touch them. "Are they aliens?"

"No." Rose shakes her head. "Humans. All of them."

"How is this possible?" Jack asks.

The Doctor eyes him suspiciously. "What kind of Chula ship landed here?"

"Does it matter?" Jack asks defensively. "It's got nothing to do with this." Ianto's heart sinks at Jack's reaction. He's nearly certain it has everything to do with what's going on in the hospital.

"This all started at the bomb site. It's got everything to do with it. What kind of warship?"

"An ambulance." A floating hologram projects from Jack's wrist strap. "That's what you chased through the Time Vortex. It's space junk. I wanted to kid you it was valuable. It's empty. I made sure of it. Nothing but a shell. I threw it at you. Saw your time travel vehicle, love the retro look, by the way, nice panels. Threw you the bait."

"Bait?" Rose asks, offended.

"I wanted to sell it to you and then destroy it before you found out it was junk."

"You're a con-man," Ianto says sadly. Of course, he had to go and snog the con-man. He has really shitty taste in partners.

"I'm not the only one lying," Jack points out. "You said you were Time Agents. You're not, are you?"

"Just a couple more free-lancers," Rose says snarkily.

"I should've figured." Jack groans. "Time Agents don't kiss like that. Too innocent, Ianto."

"Oi!" Ianto's offended. He's a decent enough kisser––not as good as Jack, mind you, but he doubts anyone's as good as Jack.

"You kissed him?" Rose stares at Ianto, surprised.

Desperate to change the subject, Ianto turns to the Doctor. "What's going on here?"

"Human DNA is being rewritten by an idiot." His brow furrows in concentration. "But why? What's the point?"

Before the Doctor can continue his investigation, the gas-mask victims sit up on their beds. "Mummy." They crowd the group, backing them against the wall. "Mummy. Mummy. Mummy."

If Ianto gets out of this, he'd never going to think of that word the same.

_Mummy._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Up: The Doctor Dances


End file.
